India women go down 4-1 to Argentina; lose third match on the trot

The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a third successive defeat in the European leg of their FIH Pro League 2024-25 campaign after a heavy 4-1 loss against Argentina in London, England, on Tuesday.

Deepika’s powerful drag-flick (30') brought India level just before half-time after Victoria Falasco (29') had opened the scoring moments earlier. However, Agustina Gorzelany struck three times in the second period (40', 54', 59') to seal the win at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.

Despite a goalless first quarter, India drew confidence from three shots on goal in the opening 10 minutes with Salima Tete and Lalremsiami both coming close to breaking the deadlock.

Early in the second quarter, a swift move from Argentina earned them a penalty corner. Navneet Kaur made a sensational save with her stick on the line to deny what looked like a certain goal.

India responded with a promising move as Salima burst down the right flank and squared the ball with precision to Baljeet Kaur, but her shot went wide.

Argentina eventually took the lead in the 29th minute after Victoria Falasco pounced on a loose ball inside the circle and fired it low past the left side of the keeper.

India searched for the equaliser, frequently using the right wing as their preferred route of attack. With only seconds remaining in the quarter, India won their first penalty corner of the hockey match, which allowed Deepika to send a low and powerful drag-flick into goal to level the score just before half-time.

A golden chance was missed by India early in the second half when Salima Tete’s shot from inside the circle was blocked by the Argentine goalkeeper.

Soon after, India forced another turnover, allowing Navneet to drive into the circle and fire a powerful shot, but the effort was deflected out of danger. India earned two more penalty corners in a dominant third quarter but were thwarted by a disciplined Argentine defence.

India would rue their missed chances as Argentina made the most of their next big opportunity with Agustina Gorzelany stepping up and converting a penalty stroke to help her side reclaim the lead in the 40th minute.

At the 47-minute mark, Salima had another shot on goal denied and was brought down on the rebound. The ensuing penalty corner didn’t amount to much for India.

Gorzelany dealt the final blow to India’s prospects in the 54th minute when she converted a penalty stroke before scoring again five minutes later thanks to another penalty corner to complete her hat-trick and secure victory for Argentina.

India are now seventh on the FIH Pro League 2024-25 standings with nine points from 11 games. They will play Argentina again in their next FIH Pro League match on Wednesday.

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