India go down to Germany 1-7 in Four-Nation junior hockey

Berlin, Jun 21 (PTI) The Indian junior men’s hockey team began its 4-Nation tournament campaign with a loss, going down 1-7 to hosts Germany here on Saturday.

Germany took early control of the match with Nico Kistein (4th minute) opening the scoring with a penalty corner conversion, followed by a swift field goal from Alec Von Schwerin (5th) to give the hosts a 2-0 lead inside the first five minutes.

India struggled to gain a foothold, and Germany extended their lead in the second quarter through Hasbach Ben (25th) as the hosts were 3-0 ahead at half time.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Germany continuing to dominate possession and territory.

Paul Babic (39th) made it 4-0 before India found a brief spark in the final quarter.

Forward Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (50th) pulled one back with a well-taken field goal, offering a glimmer of hope for the Indian colts.

But the hosts responded instantly. Hasbach Ben struck twice more (51st, 54th) to complete his hat-trick, while Babic (54th) added his second, capping off a commanding win for Germany.

India will aim to bounce back when they face Australia on Sunday, followed by a clash against Spain on Tuesday.

The 4-Nation Tournament features India, Germany, Australia, and Spain in a single round-robin format.

The top two teams will advance to the final, while the other two will compete for third place. PTI TAP PDS PDS