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India’s men’s hockey team lost 3-5 to Argentina, exiting the FIH World Cup semifinal race. Tomas Domene and Joaquin Toscani scored two goals each for Argentina.
India put up a poor show against Argentina.
(Hockey India)
The Indian men’s hockey team needed to win by a margin of three or more goals in a second-round pool match to have a chance at surviving in the FIH World Cup, but ended up losing 3-5 to crash out of the semifinal race on Monday. Argentina, considered second favorites before the match, capitalised on an early advantage and repeatedly exposed the Indian defence in a one-sided contest for long periods.
India’s chances had already taken a severe blow after the defeat to the Netherlands in their previous Pool E match, but Argentina’s win over England had technically kept the door open.
However, India’s task became significantly harder within the opening six minutes as Argentina scored twice. The early setbacks, coupled with poor passing, frequent turnovers and defensive lapses, left India struggling to build any sustained momentum.
Argentina had already established their dominance over India earlier this year, defeating them 8-0 and 4-2 in the FIH Pro League in Rourkela. They once again proved too strong, with Joaquin Toscani scoring in the first minute, Nicolas Della Torre adding another in the sixth, Tomas Domene scoring in the 33rd and 45th minutes, and Lucas Toscani finding the net in the 53rd.
Sukhjeet Singh scored twice for India in the 10th and 58th minutes, while Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke in the 59th minute.
Argentina took only 39 seconds to open the scoring. Joaquin Toscani received the ball on the right and fired it into the net, giving Indian goalkeeper Mohit HS no chance.
India’s defensive problems surfaced again in the third minute when Jarmanpreet Singh made a mistake inside the circle, gifting Argentina their first penalty corner. Mohit, however, produced an excellent save to deny Tomas Domene’s flick before India’s defenders cleared the danger.
Argentina doubled their advantage in the sixth minute. The ball deflected off an Argentine striker’s stick and struck Yashdeep, resulting in another penalty corner. Nicolas Della Torre made no mistake this time, converting the chance to put Argentina firmly in control.
India responded with greater urgency and reduced the deficit four minutes later. Abhishek created the opportunity from outside the left side of the circle, setting up Sukhjeet, who fired a powerful diagonal shot into the net.
Argentina almost restored their two-goal cushion in the 15th minute. Ibarra Ignacio carried the ball forward before passing to Ruiz Tomas, who found Toscani, but Mohit was equal to the attempt and made the save.
Argentina led 2-1 after the opening 15 minutes, while neither side managed to score in the second quarter. India created opportunities but were repeatedly let down by their own mistakes.
In the 20th minute, Hardik Singh raced down the left flank and sent a cross into the ‘D’ towards Harmanpreet Singh, but the Indian captain had already advanced and failed to intercept the ball. Four minutes later, Harmanpreet won possession in midfield and played Dilpreet Singh into a counterattack, but Dilpreet failed to trap the ball, allowing another promising opportunity to go begging.
India went into the half-time break trailing 1-2.
Argentina resumed the third quarter with the same intensity and earned a penalty corner within the first minute. Nicolas’ attempt was stopped by Mohit, after which Argentina sought another penalty corner through a referral, but their request was rejected.
India’s defensive frailties then cost them again. In the 33rd minute, Tomas Domene produced a reverse hit through a disorganised Indian defence to score his seventh goal of the tournament. The strike also took him past India captain Harmanpreet, who had six goals in the competition.
India immediately earned four consecutive penalty corners in the following minute. Harmanpreet’s first attempt was blocked, but the ball struck a defender’s foot, leading to another penalty corner. The next two were awarded after the first rusher collided with the ball, while Harmanpreet’s attempt from the fourth was unsuccessful as the ball bounced high and went over the goal.
India continued to create openings but failed to capitalise. In the 37th minute, Yashdeep sent the ball from the right flank to Dilpreet inside the circle. Dilpreet made a good attempt but missed the target.
Another penalty corner came India’s way in the 40th minute after Harmanpreet’s flick struck Sukhjeet’s stick. Harmanpreet opted for a review for a foul, but India lost the referral.
Argentina then extended their advantage through another defensive error. In the 44th minute, Domene attacked the Indian goal and Mohit saved both the initial effort and the rebound. But another lapse in the Indian defence resulted in a penalty stroke when the ball struck Yashdeep inside the circle. Domene converted from the spot to score his eighth goal of the tournament and make it 4-1.
Lucas Toscani added Argentina’s fifth goal in the 53rd minute. He collected the ball inside the circle, found space and beat the Indian defence with a reverse hit, leaving three Indian defenders stunned.
India earned their sixth penalty corner four minutes before the final hooter, but Harmanpreet was once again unable to convert.
There was late resistance from India as Sukhjeet scored his second goal of the match in the 58th minute, producing a fine field goal after receiving a pass from Mandeep Singh. A minute later, Hardik converted a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit to 3-5.
But the late surge came far too late. India could not find the two further goals they required, and Argentina held on for a convincing victory.
The Netherlands have already qualified for the semifinals from Pool E, while the second semifinalist will be decided by the final pool match between England and the Netherlands.
India, meanwhile, remained fourth in the pool without a point from three matches and will now compete for seventh or eighth place.
(With PTI Inputs)
Key Questions Answered
Ask News18India was eliminated from the Hockey World Cup after losing 3-5 to Argentina in their second-round pool match on Monday. They needed to win by at least two goals to remain in contention for the semi-finals but struggled to find their rhythm. This defeat followed an earlier 1-3 loss to the Netherlands on Saturday and a 2-4 loss to England on August 17.
Ask News18August 24, 2026, 8:33 PM IST
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