~ Justus Wiegand (56′) and Jakob Brella (60′) scored late goals for Germany after Jugraj Singh (38′) had given India the lead ~
Rotterdam, June 19, 2026: The Indian men’s hockey team put up a tough battle against defending champions Germany, but narrowly lost 1-2 in their third match of the FIH Pro Hockey League 2025-26 in Rotterdam on Thursday evening. Jugraj Singh (38) scored his 100th international match with a goal, before goals by Justus Wiegand (56) and Jacob Brella (60) turned the match in Germany’s favour.
India started the match strongly, dominating possession and building early momentum to keep Germany under pressure. With their compact defensive structure, India denied the world champions space and prevented them from creating clear-cut chances.
The Indian team increased the tempo in the second quarter with strong high pressure, which led to Germany making mistakes. Abhishek created the best opportunity for India in the first half after a sophisticated attack, but the opportunity was not completed.
In a closely contested match where chances were limited, India continued to dominate possession and were rewarded in the third quarter. After earning their first corner kick of the match, India took the lead through Jugraj Singh, who marked his 100th appearance with a powerful volley in the 38th minute.
Germany were awarded two penalty kicks at the end of the third quarter, but goalkeeper Mohith HS held on to ensure India maintained their one-goal advantage in the final period.
India had chances to extend their lead in the final quarter, with penalties and an open play opportunity for Shilanand Lakra. But Germany responded and equalized in the 56th minute through Justus Wiegand, who converted a corner penalty kick to make the score 1-1.
With just seconds left in the match, Germany were awarded another penalty kick and Jakub Brila scored the winner in the 60th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for the world champions.
India will face Netherlands in their next match on June 21 at 17:30 IST.
