India’s hopes of reaching the Hockey World Cup semifinals ended with a 3-5 defeat to Argentina in Amstelveen…reports Asian Lite News Desk
India’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 ended with a 3-5 defeat to Argentina in their final Pool E match at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen on Monday.
Argentina made a flying start, scoring twice inside the opening six minutes through Joaquin Toscani and Nicolas della Torre. Sukhjeet Singh pulled one back for India in the 10th minute, but Argentina remained in control and eventually secured a convincing victory.
Tomas Domene restored Argentina’s two-goal advantage in the third quarter before converting a penalty stroke to score his second of the match. Lucas Toscani then added Argentina’s fifth in the final quarter.
Sukhjeet scored his second goal late in the match, while Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit to 5-3. Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Santiago then denied India from a late penalty corner to seal the result.
Argentina moved to six points and will now await the outcome of the Netherlands-England match to determine which two teams advance to the semifinals from Pool E. India finished bottom of the pool and will now play for seventh and eighth place.
Argentina needed less than a minute to take the lead. Joaquin Toscani found space at a tight angle after a ball was played across the face of goal and fired into the net.
India were immediately put under pressure as Argentina repeatedly exposed gaps in the Indian midfield and defence. Argentina earned their first penalty corner in the third minute after Jarmanpreet Singh was adjudged to have intentionally used his stick to send the ball over the baseline.
India goalkeeper Mohith produced an excellent save, but Argentina doubled their advantage three minutes later. Another defensive error handed Nicolas della Torre a penalty corner, and he beat Mohith to make it 2-0.
India gradually settled and created their first significant opening in the 10th minute. Abhishek helped build the attack before the ball reached Sukhjeet, who finished firmly to bring India back into the contest.
The second quarter remained goalless, although India struggled to convert possession into clear opportunities. Argentina frequently used aerial passes to bypass the Indian midfield and create openings in the attacking third.
The match turned decisively in Argentina’s favour in the third quarter. After Mohith saved another penalty corner, Argentina broke forward following Sanjay’s loss of possession. Tomas Domene completed the counter-attack to make it 3-1.
India then wasted several penalty-corner opportunities, with Harmanpreet Singh’s dragflicks either being blocked by the Argentine defence or failing to find the target.
Argentina extended their lead in the 45th minute. After Mohith made two successive saves, Yashdeep Siwach was struck by the ball in front of goal, resulting in a penalty stroke. Domene converted to make it 4-1.
Lucas Toscani then added a fifth in the 53rd minute with a powerful tomahawk that beat Suraj Karkera.
India mounted a late fightback, with Sukhjeet scoring his second in the 58th minute from Mandeep Singh’s cross. He was brought down inside the circle moments later, allowing Hardik to convert a penalty stroke and make it 5-3.
India earned one final penalty corner before the hooter, but Santiago made the crucial save to end their semifinal hopes.
