Goal disallowed, India lose 1-2 to Argentina for fourth straight defeat in FIH Pro League
India's late goal from penalty was disallowed in dramatic circumstances and Jugraj Singh failed to score after it was retaken as they lost 1-2 to Argentina for their fourth successive defeat in the European leg of FIH Pro League hockey here on Thursday.
Drag-flicker Jugraj struck in the fourth minute off the first penalty corner of the match to give India the lead but Tomas Domene (9th and 49th) scored a brace, both from PCs, to hand Argentina the win.
Down 1-2 in the fourth and final quarter, India earned a penalty stroke two minutes from the final hooter and Jugraj was successful in sounding the board. Argentina asked for a video referral on the ground that Jugraj's left foot was well ahead of the ball while he took the stroke.
The video umpire ruled in Argentina's favour but India captain Hardik Singh asked the referee to check whether the Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Santiago was already ahead of the goal-line before Jugraj took the stroke.
This time, India got a favourable decision from the video umpire. Jugraj was allowed to retake the stroke but his shot was saved this time by Santiago.
India's regular captain Harmanpreet Singh missed the game due to a finger tissue injury sustained in the previous match. In his absence, vice-captain Hardik led the team.
Argentina got as many as eight PCs while India earned just three.
Before the start of the match, the two teams observed a minute's silence to pay respect to the victims of the tragic crash of the London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew in Ahmedabad earlier in the day.
Argentina started the game with high pressing and greater ball possession, but India responded with sharp passing and swift circle entries. This early momentum earned India a penalty corner, which Jugraj converted with a powerful drag flick to hand them the lead in the fourth minute.
Argentina quickly earned a penalty corner of their own, but Indian goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak stood tall, making a crucial save. Moments later, Pathak was called into action again, diving to deny another Argentine penalty corner.
However, the Argentines got third time lucky as Domene fired home to level the score in the ninth minute. The first quarter ended evenly poised at 1-1.
The second quarter saw Argentina pushing forward with early circle entries, but India's defence held firm to thwart their advances. India responded by intercepting passes and launching speedy counter-attacks, putting pressure on Argentina's goalkeeper Santiago, who stood his ground with key saves.
Argentina, too, found themselves in promising positions but failed to convert their chances. Despite the end-to-end action, neither side could break the deadlock in the second quarter, and the teams went into half time with the score still level at 1-1.
The third quarter saw both teams adopting a cautious approach, focusing on maintaining possession and controlling the tempo of the game. Much of the action unfolded in the midfield, with both India and Argentina finding it difficult to penetrate each other's defensive lines.
As a result, clear-cut chances were few and far between, and neither side managed to create any substantial threats in the attacking circle. The evenly contested third quarter ended without any change to the scoreline.
Argentina came out strong in the fourth and final quarter, applying relentless pressure on India's defence with aggressive pressing. Their efforts soon bore fruit as Domene struck his second goal of the match in the 49th minute, once again converting a penalty corner to give Argentina a 2-1 lead.
Trailing for the first time in the game, India shifted to a long-passing strategy in search of an equaliser. However, Argentina remained compact at the back, successfully absorbing the pressure and denying India any clear breakthroughs.
India's best opportunity came in the dying moments when they were awarded a penalty stroke with less than two minutes left on the clock. Jugraj first scored from the stroke, but it was disallowed and he failed to score on the retake.
As a result of the loss, India now sit fifth in the points table with 15 points from 12 matches. They will next play against Australia on June 14.
India had lost to the same opponents 3-4 on Wednesday.
Before that, India had lost 1-2 and 2-3 to Olympic champions Netherlands here during this European tour of the Pro League.
This was India's fourth and last match here, and they will now travel to Antwerp in Belgium to face formidable Australia on Saturday.
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