Amstelveen, Aug 25:
India’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the men’s Hockey World Cup ended in disappointment as Argentina defeated Harmanpreet Singh’s side 5-3 in a crucial Pool E encounter at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Monday. The result extended India’s wait for a World Cup semi-final appearance to 51 years.
India entered the match knowing that they needed a convincing victory to remain in contention for the last four. Instead, Argentina made a blistering start and put India under pressure almost immediately. Joaquin Toscani opened the scoring within the first minute, before Nicolas della Torre doubled Argentina’s advantage from a penalty corner in the sixth minute.
India managed to respond through Sukhjeet Singh, who pulled one back in the 10th minute. The goal briefly revived Indian hopes, but Argentina continued to control the tempo and repeatedly exposed gaps in the Indian defence. Despite India enjoying possession for long periods, the team struggled to turn that possession into clear scoring opportunities.
The third quarter proved particularly damaging. Argentina maintained their intensity and Tomas Domene extended their lead with a powerful strike. India then conceded again from a penalty stroke, with Domene converting to make it 4-1. Lucas Toscani added another goal as Argentina moved 5-1 ahead and effectively put the contest beyond India’s reach.
India did manage a late fightback. Sukhjeet scored his second goal of the match before Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit to 5-3. However, the comeback came too late, and Argentina held on to secure a decisive victory.
The defeat highlighted several weaknesses that have troubled India during the tournament, particularly defensive errors and a lack of efficiency in the attacking circle. India had also struggled against top opposition, suffering defeats to England and the Netherlands before the Argentina loss. Their defensive record became a major concern, with India conceding 16 goals in five matches, according to a tournament assessment.
Head coach Craig Fulton rued India’s slow start and acknowledged that Argentina had taken advantage of the early mistakes. The Indian side was unable to reproduce the intensity and attacking fluency that had helped it beat Pakistan 5-3 earlier in the tournament.
The defeat also raised questions over India’s tactical choices and their ability to handle pressure in a must-win World Cup match. The team had to chase the game for most of the contest, while Argentina were able to exploit spaces and punish defensive lapses.
With their semi-final hopes over, India will now play the 7th-8th place classification match against Belgium on August 28.
For a country with a proud hockey tradition, another World Cup without a semi-final appearance will be a bitter disappointment. India’s next major opportunity to respond will come at the Asian Games, making the tournament an important chance for the team to rebuild confidence, address its defensive weaknesses and regain consistency against the world’s leading sides.