In the first of their two matches on Tuesday, the Indian women’s hockey team suffered a tough 1-4 defeat against Germany. Despite the loss, young talent Vaishnavi Vittal Phalke gave India a glimmer of hope with her goal in the 29th minute.
Germany took charge right from the start, launching a relentless attack that immediately put pressure on India’s defense. They managed to find the back of the net twice in the opening quarter, establishing a strong lead. The German team continued their offensive onslaught in the following quarters, with Jette Fleschütz and Nike Lorenz both securing two goals each.
Germany’s first goal came from a well-executed penalty corner by Nike Lorenz. They scored their second goal from a penalty stroke converted by Jette. Although India had a chance to bounce back with a penalty corner in the 11th minute, they couldn’t convert it into a goal.
However, India regrouped in the second quarter and played a well-structured game. While they successfully prevented Germany from scoring, they scored a goal through Vaishnavi’s penalty corner in the 29th minute. With a score of 2-1 at halftime, Germany came back with a plan to test India’s defense in the second half.
India fought hard but conceded a penalty corner due to an infringement by their defense in the circle. Jette seized the opportunity and extended Germany’s lead to 3-1. Despite a few chances in the final quarter, India couldn’t breach Germany’s strong defense.
In the dying minutes of the game, Nike scored the fourth goal for Germany, sealing the final score at 4-1. India will have another chance to face Germany on Wednesday.
