India lost 4-2 against England in their second pool match at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. In the match played in Amstelveen, Netherlands on August 17, India performed brilliantly in the first half and took a 2-1 lead, but the team could not maintain its rhythm in the second half. England applied continuous pressure and scored four goals and won the match.
After this defeat, the path to the next round has become challenging for India. The team will have to register victory at any cost in the match against Pakistan on 19th August. If the match is a draw then India will still have a chance of qualifying but for this Wales will have to win against England.
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India had the upper hand in the first half
India started the match with aggressive play. The team put pressure on England through high press and also kept a good grip on the ball. However, England troubled the Indian defense with counter attacks. In the ninth minute, Sumit got a green card for a bad tackle, due to which India played with 10 players for two minutes. England took advantage of this and won a penalty corner and Nicholas Bandurak scored to put the team ahead 1-0.
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India made a comeback in the second quarter. After video review, captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a brilliant drag-flick on the penalty corner to make the score 1-1. After this, due to the excellent coordination between Hardik Singh and Abhishek, Dilpreet Singh scored a goal to give India a 2-1 lead.
England changed the game after the break
In the second half, England increased the pressure on the match. In the 39th minute, Stuart Rushmeyer scored through a deflection to make the score 2-2. England also had to play with 10 players for some time but India could not take advantage of it. In the 44th minute, Henry Croft scored on a brilliant pass from Rushmeyer to put England ahead 3-2. This was his first goal in the World Cup.
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India tried to equalize in the last quarter but could not capitalize on the chances to score. Harmanpreet's drag-flick was not trapped properly, while Abhishek's shot also went wide of the target. After Neelkanth got the yellow card, India had to play with 10 players for five minutes. England won consecutive penalty corners and Bandurak scored his second to make it 4–2. After this India could not make a comeback. England maintained control of the ball in the last minutes and won the match.