Hockey News: In a semi-final match played at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday night, Germany defeated defending winners India 4-2. India, who had qualified for the semi-finals after a 1-0 win against Belgium, looked befuddled in the face of a strong German attack.
The opening quarter of the game was more enjoyable for Germany than for India. Since the outset, the six-time champions have kept the hosts at bay with great passes and some quality attacks. After getting their second penalty corner in the final minute of the first quarter, they had their moment. Prashant Chauhan, the goalie, managed to deflect the first hit, but an alert Erik Kleinlein netted the deflected ball to give Germany the lead right before the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was even worse for India, with Germany scoring three goals to India’s lone goal in the time. Philip Holzmueller scored Germany’s second goal of the game in the 21st minute. After that, Hannes Muller made it 3-1 before Christopher Kutter made it 4-1 with a penalty kick. India scored a goal between Germany’s third and fourth goals, thanks to Uttam Singh. The defending champions, on the other hand, understood they’d have to do a lot more to beat Germany, who were clearly superior on the day.
In the third quarter, neither team scored a goal, albeit India’s offence improved. Boby Singh scored India’s second goal in the fourth quarter, but it was in vain as India still trailed by two goals and finally lost the game 2-4 against Germany.
Argentina went to the final of the present event with a 3-1 penalty shootout victory against France after the encounter between the two teams ended in a goalless draw after the stipulated 60 minutes. India will now play France for third place on December 5 at 4:30 p.m. IST, while Germany will play Argentina in the final on the same day at 7:30 p.m. IST.
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