Amstelveen: India conceded three second-half goals to suffer a 2-4 defeat to the higher-ranked England in their second pool match of the men’s Hockey World Cup here Monday.
Nicholas Bandurak put England ahead in the 13th minute but India fought back and took 2-1 lead through goals from captain Harmanpreet Singh (16th) and Dilpreet Singh (24th) in the Pool D match.
The Englishmen, however, put up a dominant show in the second half, with Stuart Rushmere (38th) and Henry Croft (42nd) finding the net in the third quarter.
The Indian Men’s Team go down 2–4 against England in their second Pool D match at the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium & Netherlands 2026. 🏑🏆
A tough result, but the journey continues. Keep believing, boys! 💪#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #HWC2026 #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/YrWyftLzvQ
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 17, 2026
Bandurak (54th) then scored his second goal of the day to help England beat India 4-2.
With three points from two matches, India will need to either beat or draw Pakistan — one point from two games — in their final pool match Wednesday to qualify for the second round.
A loss against Pakistan, will, however, knock India out of the tournament.
India had beaten Wales 3-1 in their campaign opener Saturday.