The Indian junior men’s hockey team endured a tough start to their 4-Nation Tournament campaign, suffering a 1-7 defeat at the hands of host nation Germany on Saturday.
Germany wasted no time asserting their dominance, striking twice in the opening five minutes. Nico Kistein converted a penalty corner in the 4th minute to open the scoring, and Alec Von Schwerin followed it up with a quick field goal a minute later, giving Germany a 2-0 lead.
India struggled to settle into the game, unable to penetrate Germany’s well-organised defence. The hosts continued their offensive pressure in the second quarter, extending their lead through Hasbach Ben in the 25th minute, making it 3-0 by half-time.
The third quarter saw Germany maintain control, with Paul Babic adding another goal in the 39th minute. India managed to pull one back in the final quarter when forward Sourabh Anand Kushwaha netted a fine field goal in the 50th minute.
However, Germany responded emphatically. Ben completed his hat-trick with two quick goals in the 51st and 54th minutes, while Babic also scored his second of the match in the same minute, sealing a dominant 7-1 victory for the hosts.
India will look to regroup quickly, with their next match scheduled against Australia on Sunday. They will conclude the round-robin phase with a clash against Spain on Tuesday.
The tournament features a single round-robin format among four teams — India, Germany, Australia, and Spain. The top two teams will progress to the final, while the remaining two will battle for third place.