Indian men’s hockey endured one of its darkest evenings on Thursday, collapsing to an 0-8 defeat against Argentina in its second outing of the FIH Pro League at the Birsa Munda Stadium.
The loss equals India’s joint-biggest defeat in international competition, matching identical 0-8 reverses against the Netherlands in 1985 and Australia in 2010. It also stands as India’s heaviest ever defeat to Argentina.
What began as a routine contest soon spiralled into chaos. For the opening minutes, there was little to suggest the avalanche that would follow. But within a quarter, the Indian side appeared disoriented, struggling to string passes together or assert any control as Argentina steadily tightened its grip.
The first warning sign arrived in the 13th minute. Captain Harmanpreet Singh missed two consecutive penalty strokes, both sent tamely to the left of goalkeeper Tomas Santiago, who comfortably blocked the efforts. The missed chances proved costly.
Argentina struck swiftly on the counter. A sharp move through the middle, followed by two crisp passes, ended with Tomas Ruiz firing a backhand shot over Suraj Karkera and into the net. Moments later, a penalty corner saw Tomas Domene double the lead, putting India 0-2 down inside the first 15 minutes.
From there, the contest turned surreal. India’s structure dissolved. There was little resistance in midfield, no cohesion in defence and almost no attacking threat. Errors compounded the misery. Nilam Sanjeep Xess played a back-pass into an unguarded circle, gifting possession to lurking Argentine forwards. Lucio Mendez capitalized without hesitation.
Argentina exploited the confusion with ruthless precision. Their forwards shook off markers, stretched play wide and found acres of space in the Indian half. By halftime, the scoreboard read an astonishing 7-0.
The second half brought a relative lull, though not redemption. Argentina eased off the intensity, appearing content with its commanding advantage. India showed marginal improvement in containment but remained unable to mount any meaningful response.
Domene added a final flourish in the closing minute, completing his four-goal haul and sealing an 8-0 rout.
For India, the defeat will prompt serious introspection. For Argentina, it was a clinical demonstration of dominance on a night when everything clicked and nothing went right for the hosts.
