Rourkela, February 15 – India suffered a 2-4 defeat against Argentina in the final match of the Rourkela leg of the 2025-26 FIH Men's Pro League on Sunday at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. Tadeo Marcucci (28', 49') led the Argentinian attack with a brace, while Tomas Domene (18') and Lucio Mendez (43') also made important contributions. For India, Aditya Lalage (50') and Sanjay (59') scored the goals in a hard-fought match.
Argentina controlled possession and created most of the opportunities in the first quarter, but India managed to defend without conceding. The South Americans scored their first goal as early as the third minute when Lucas Martínez struck from inside the circle, beating Indian goalkeeper Suraj Karkera, but the ball hit the post.
Karkera was repeatedly called into action, including at the 10-minute mark when he successfully stopped a powerful shot from Tomás Domene. The pressure continued as Argentina earned as many as four penalty corners in the opening quarter.
India conceded early in the second quarter, and it was another penalty corner that hurt the hosts. In the 18th minute, Domene capitalized on the set-piece to score past the goalkeeper and give his team the lead.
Argentina quickly extended their advantage as India struggled to hold and win possession in midfield. Lucas Tosceni delivered a precise aerial ball to find Tadeo Marcucci in the box, who buried it with a powerful shot.
Just seconds before half-time, India earned their best chance of the match. A series of quick passes in the circle put Aditya Lalage in a dangerous position, but the forward's rushed shot went over the post.
India returned with determination and won two consecutive penalty corners early in the third quarter. However, Captain Harmanpreet Singh was unable to convert, as Argentina's defence stood firm.
The visitors soon extended their lead. Toscani produced a brilliant run, beating two defenders before squaring the ball to Lucio Mendez, who finished clinically to put Argentina 3-0 ahead.
In the early exchanges of the final quarter, India came close to reducing the deficit as Rajinder made a powerful pass from the right flank, but Karthi Selvam could not get his stick there for the tap-in. In response, Argentina made it 4-0 on their ninth penalty corner of the night, Marcucci found the ball after a scramble and finished it from close range.
It was Hardik Singh who set up the first goal for India, using a 50th-minute free hit to expertly position himself and send the ball towards the goal. Lalage then seized the opportunity to score, quickly deflecting the ball into the net. Minutes before the final whistle, India were awarded a penalty stroke, and Sanjay stepped up to finish with composure, narrowing the margin to 4-2.
