Amstelveen (Netherlands). The Indian men’s hockey team’s dream of reaching the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 was shattered on Monday.
In its last match of Pool-E, India was defeated by Argentina 5-3. With this defeat, the Indian team remained at the last position in the pool and now it will have to play for 7th-8th position.
In the match played at the Wagner Stadium, Argentina made a very aggressive start and took a 2-0 lead within the first six minutes.
For India, Sukhjit Singh performed brilliantly and scored two goals, while Hardik Singh scored one goal on a penalty stroke. However, early defensive lapses by the Indian team and quick attacks by Argentina made the decisive difference in the match.
Joaquin Toscani and Nicolas Della Torre scored the opening goals for Argentina. After this, Sukhjeet opened India’s account and made the score 2-1 in the 10th minute.
In the third quarter, Tomas Domain strengthened Argentina’s hold by scoring two goals, while Lucas Toscani scored another goal to put the team ahead 5-1.
India tried to make a strong comeback in the last quarter. Sukhjeet scored his second goal in the 58th minute and soon after Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke. Despite this, the Indian team could not avoid a 5-3 defeat.
Argentina remain in the race for the semi-finals with six points, while India will now be eyeing a seventh-place finish in the tournament.