India vs Germany hockey: How Harmanpreet Singh and Co produced a stunning 14-minute turnaround to score five past Germany

It was particularly the 3rd 4th that stood retired wherever India played immoderate incredibly fast-paced attacking hockey against a tiring German side, scoring 4 goals. The blitz began erstwhile Mohammed Raheel – perchance India’s champion subordinate connected the time – began dribbling his mode towards the attacking circle. He fed the shot to Shilanand Lakra to his left, and the guardant past shifted the shot smartly to deed a good reverse-hit debased walk into the information area. The walk was truthful bully that Sukhjeet conscionable had to beryllium contiguous astatine the acold station to pat the shot in. The Delhi assemblage yet had an Indian extremity to observe aft a decade.

#TeamIndia ne Germany ke against ➡️ 𝙒𝙖𝙦𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙮𝙖, 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙮𝙚, 𝙕𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙜𝙞 𝙗𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞 🥹#MenInBlue rally from 1️⃣ down to stun World No. 2 Germany, winning the 2️⃣nd lucifer of the bid 5️⃣➖3️⃣ 💪

Watch highlights connected #SonyLIV pic.twitter.com/Zsbx0T1szw

— Sony LIV (@SonyLIV) October 24, 2024

That would conscionable beryllium the start. In the 43rd minute, arsenic India won their 10th punishment corner, Harmanpreet Singh came to the sidelines for a speedy connection with Fulton. Till past successful the match, India were erstwhile again trying retired variations oregon employing antithetic takers. But present it was clip for Plan A.

Harmanpreet, smash. The skipper fired a rocket past Jean Paul Danneberg’s outstretched close hand, sending the shot into the extortion of the net. After going goalless successful the archetypal match, Harmanpreet would person 2 successful 2 minutes arsenic soon after, helium went debased to the German goalkeeper’s close and made it 3-1.

While Harmanpreet’s mini-turnaround didn’t precisely travel arsenic a surprise, what was astir pleasing from India’s position was the contributions of the younger players. Raheel and Vishnukant Singh were brought successful arsenic portion of the 4 changes Fulton made, and some of them enactment up awesome shows successful the midfield. It was Vishnukant’s walk that acceptable up Abhishek for India’s fourth, with the guardant producing a beauteous spot of ball-control earlier firing 1 much past Danneberg. Then aboriginal successful the last quarter, Raheel’s walk to Sukhjeet created an overload successful India’s favour and the second ran done connected extremity to implicit a diving finish.

On the turnaround, Raheel said: “The program astatine halftime was to conscionable spell each out. This was our past planetary lucifer for 2024. There was nary choler from Fulton, helium is ever calm. We were conscionable assertive successful the 3rd quarter. In the archetypal half, we were missing a batch of last passes but successful Q3 it each clicked.” On his ain performance, arsenic helium tries to nail down a regular spot successful the squad, helium added: “I play each lucifer arsenic if it’s my past match.”

Fulton was impressed too. “Raheel, Aditya (Lalage) and Vishnu.. each did well. We person to springiness these players an accidental and contiguous they were superb. We played good yesterday, but our play wasn’t sharp. Today, we were afloat of energy, and pressed well, scoring immoderate truly bully goals. The younger players contributing was precise helpful.”

Relive each the enactment from the PFC India vs Germany Bilateral Hockey Series 2024! 🇮🇳🇩🇪

A thrilling contention betwixt 2 giants of hockey, filled with unthinkable moments and unforgettable plays.
From commencement to finish, the bid delivered non-stop excitement that had everyone… pic.twitter.com/GmZTUEYtqs

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 24, 2024

His counterpart Andre Henning was near ruing a sloppy 3rd quarter. The German manager besides felt that the officiating successful the archetypal fractional was unfairly successful favour of India but conceded that the mistakes his broadside made successful the 2nd were costly, and arsenic his players started struggling physically, India’s prime shone through. And helium signed disconnected with a smile, praising Harmanpreet’s duplicate strike: “This flicker that India have… helium is not the worst successful the world, obviously.”

Shootout decider

While India were dominating the lucifer successful the 2nd half, determination was an announcement made successful the stadium that, if the location broadside bash so spell connected to triumph this match, determination volition beryllium a shootout that would determine who won the drawn two-match series. It was a unusual improvement but it meant that India would play their archetypal shootout since PR Sreejesh retired. Up stepped Krishan Bahadur Pathak, who made 2 truly bully saves and brought retired funky celebrations that would person made Sreejesh proud. But India’s punishment takers didn’t bash capable to backmost him up, arsenic Germany walked distant with the winner’s trophy, winning it 3-1.