Rotterdam, 18 June (H.S.):

The Indian men's hockey team delivered a commanding performance to defeat reigning world champions Germany 3-1 in their second match of the Rotterdam leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2025–26 on Thursday.

Mandeep Singh opened the scoring for India in the seventh minute, followed by Shilanand Lakra in the 13th minute and Neelakanta Sharma in the 35th minute. Germany's only goal came through Raphael Hartkopf in the 45th minute.

The match was particularly memorable for veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh, who became India's most-capped international hockey player. He made his 413th international appearance, surpassing the previous record of 412 matches held by former Indian captain Dilip Tirkey.

India made an impressive start, controlling possession and putting Germany under early pressure. Their dominance paid off in the seventh minute when Mandeep Singh found the back of the net to give India a 1-0 lead. Just before the end of the first quarter, in the 13th minute, Shilanand Lakra produced an excellent finish to beat German goalkeeper Alexander Stadler and double India's advantage.

Germany attempted to fight back in the second quarter, but the Indian defence remained resolute. The Germans earned their first penalty corner in the 24th minute, which was successfully blocked by Amit Rohidas. They received another penalty corner in the 27th minute, but goalkeeper Mohit made a comfortable save to preserve India's 2-0 lead heading into half-time.

India maintained their attacking momentum after the break. Their persistence was rewarded in the 35th minute when Neelakanta Sharma scored a fine goal to extend the lead to 3-0.

Both teams created opportunities as the contest became more open, but Germany managed to reduce the deficit only in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Raphael Hartkopf scored in the 45th minute to make it 3-1.

India's defence stood firm throughout the final quarter, denying Germany any further scoring opportunities and sealing an impressive 3-1 victory over the reigning world champions.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar