Düsseldorf, Aug 22 The Indian junior men's hockey team on Tuesday lost 1-6 to the hosts Germany in the Final of the 4 Nations Tournament-Dusseldorf 2023 to finish the tournament as runners-up.
Sudeep Chirmako (22') scored the lone goal for India while Germany's goals came from Florian Sperling (15'), Ben Hasbach (20'), Hugo von Montgelas (23'), Fabio Seitz (38'), Nikas Berendts (41'), and Paul Glander (43').
India started confidently after a 4-0 victory over England in their previous game. However, Germany, which had won all of their previous games in the tournament, soon began to pose threats to India's defensive forces.
Just before the end of the first quarter, Florian Sperling (15') put Germany ahead and helped Germany take the lead.
The second quarter started with Germany continuing their dominance. Ben Hasbach (20') scored the second goal of the match, extending his side's lead. But two minutes later Sudeep Chirmako (22') pulled a goal back for India.
Germany's Hugo von Montgelas (23') scored straightaway to again help Germany regain their two-goal lead. Germany defended well to enter halftime with a 3-1 lead.
Trailing by two goals, India showcased attacking intent at the start of the third quarter and started looking for quick goals to cover the deficit. But Fabio Seitz (38') managed to find the back of the net in the 38th minute and extended Germany's lead to 4-1.
Nikas Berendts (41') made the most of a late penalty corner while Paul Glander (43') added another field goal to help Germany take a dominant 6-1 lead by the end of the third quarter.
With 15 minutes left on the clock, Germany, already having a solid lead, started maintaining possession of the ball to try and prevent India from stitching any attacking moves. Germany defended well in their own half and managed to hold on to their lead to win the match 6-1.
--IANS
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