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The Indian men's hockey team's struggles with consistency continued as they fell 1-3 to Great Britain in the second match of the London leg of the FIH Pro League. This defeat comes just a day after a surprising 3-0 victory over world champions Germany. Fueled by a strong home crowd, Britain showcased an aggressive offense right from the start, putting pressure on India early. Bandurak Nicholas capitalized on a swift counterattack in the second minute, giving GBR the lead. India attempted to recover but conceded another goal in the 11th minute, again by Nicholas.
India's penalty corner woes
Despite being ranked higher than Britain (3rd vs 4th), India struggled to capitalize on their set-piece opportunities. They earned eight penalty corners throughout the match but failed to convert any of them. Great Britain also couldn't convert their five penalty corners. India managed to pull one back through Abhishek's field goal in the 35th minute, but it wasn't enough. GBR added another goal in the 47th minute through Calnan Will, solidifying their win.
India's difficulties increased when Bandurak netted another goal in the 11th minute, shortly after India failed to capitalize on their first penalty corner due to Harmanpreet’s off-target drag-flick.
Entering the second quarter with a 0-2 deficit, India continued their quest for their first goal. They maintained control of the possession and showed determination as Hardik Singh and Mandeep Singh made vigorous attempts in the circle. Abhishek also made a notable impact upfront, though a breakthrough goal remained elusive.
After a 10-minute halftime break, the third quarter saw India attempting to disrupt Great Britain's high-energy play. Early in the quarter, Hardik initiated a counterattack and penetrated the circle, but it didn’t lead to a significant opportunity.
Relief came in the 35th minute when Abhishek scored with a superb reverse-hit, capitalizing on excellent stick handling to convert a long pass from the midfield into a goal.
Continuing with their strong performance, Abhishek secured another penalty corner for India in the subsequent minute. However, Harmanpreet's attempt missed the mark.
In the minutes that followed, India dominated play, with goalkeeper PR Sreejesh making crucial saves to keep the goal deficit manageable. The third quarter concluded with intense action as both teams exchanged penalty corners, yet failed to find the net. Great Britain then extended their lead in the 47th minute with a goal from Calnan. India contested the goal with a video referral, but the third umpire dismissed the appeal. Despite being awarded a few more penalty corners, India couldn't convert any into goals. India's next game will be against Germany on June 8 at this venue.
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