India beat Germany 5-3 in second hockey Test but lose series in shootout | Hockey News

India put up a valiant effort against the reigning world champions Germany in the second and final hockey Test at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. The hosts emerged victorious with a scoreline of 5-3, levelling the two-match series 1-1.
Germany had secured a 2-0 win in the first Test on Wednesday. To determine the series winner, a shootout was conducted, which saw Germany triumph 3-1.
Harmanpreet Singhand Sukhjeet Singh scored a brace each for India but the hosts lost the two-match series via a shoot-out.
Elian Mazkour (7th, 57th minutes) scored twice for Germany, who took the early lead, while Henrik Mertgens (60th) was the other goal getter for the visitors.
Hosts India turned the table in the second half, with goals from Sukhjeet Singh (34th and 48th), skipper Harmanpreet Singh (42nd and 43rd) and Abhishek (45th) to level the two-match series.
In the penalty shoot-out, Harmanpreet, Abhishek and Mohammed Raheel missed while Aditya was the lone scorer.
India custodian Krishan Bahadur Pathak made two fine saves in the pressure situation, but couldn’t save his side from losing in the shoot-out.
Germany took the lead in the seventh minute through Elian Mazkour, who scored with a fierce reverse shot from the right corner.
The Indians finally found the net from penalty corners as Harmanpreet converted two in succession with a minute’s gap. He first found the top right corner of the German goal and then scored a minute later with a powerful grounded flick.
It was raining goals for a pumped-up India, thereafter, with Abhishek finding the back of the net minutes later with a fierce shot from the right corner to hand the home team a 4-1 lead.
The Indians continued with the same intensity in the fourth and final quarter and extended their lead in the 48th minute through an unmarked Sukhjeet.
Sukhjeet received a long pass from the deep and sped away with only the onrushing German goalkeeper to beat and he did that perfectly with a diving reverse hit.
The fighting Germans didn’t give up and secured another penalty corner in the 54th minute but failed to threaten the Indian goal.
Germany, however, pulled one back three minutes from the final hooter when Mazkour received a ball inside the ‘D’, brilliantly turned to dodge an Indian defender and slotted home the ball past Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera.
The Germans continued the high press and got another goal back just at the stroke of the final hooter through Henrik Mertgens.
(with inputs from PTI)