India suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat against Argentina in the FIH Pro League hockey match in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on Thursday, marked by a controversial late penalty decision that saw Jugraj Singh miss a retaken stroke in the final minutes of the game.Jugraj Singh had given India an early lead in the fourth minute through a penalty corner conversion, their first of the match. Argentina’s Tomas Domene responded with two goals, scoring in the ninth and 49th minutes, both from penalty corners, to put his team ahead.The match reached its climax two minutes before the final whistle when India earned a penalty stroke. Jugraj initially converted it, but Argentina’s video referral showed his left foot was ahead of the ball during the execution.
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India’s captain Hardik Singh then successfully challenged the Argentine goalkeeper Tomas Santiago’s position, claiming he had moved ahead of the goal-line before the stroke was taken. While India won this referral, Jugraj’s retaken stroke was saved by Santiago.The match saw Argentina dominating the penalty corner count, earning eight compared to India’s three. Hardik Singh led the Indian team in the absence of regular captain Harmanpreet Singh, who was sidelined with a finger injury.
This defeat marked India’s fourth consecutive loss in their European tour of the Pro League. They had previously lost to Argentina 3-4 in their previous encounter and suffered two defeats against Olympic champions Netherlands with scores of 1-2 and 2-3. India will now head to Antwerp, Belgium, where they will face Australia on Saturday in their next Pro League fixture.
