India’s spirited performance against reigning world champions Germany ended in heartbreak as two late goals condemned them to a narrow 2-1 defeat in their FIH Pro League 2025-26 clash in Rotterdam on Friday (IST).
Having controlled large phases of the contest and led through Jugraj Singh’s milestone goal in his 100th international appearance, India looked on course for a memorable win before Germany staged a dramatic comeback in the closing minutes.
Justus Weigand struck from a penalty corner in the 56th minute to level the scores before Jakob Brilla netted the winner with virtually the last action of the match, helping the world champions snatch all three points.
Earlier, Jugraj had given India a deserved lead in the 38th minute with a powerful drag-flick, capping a landmark outing in national colours as the visitors produced one of their most disciplined displays of the tournament.
India started the game on the front foot, controlling possession and building early momentum to keep Germany under pressure. With a compact defensive structure, India denied the World Champions space and restricted them from creating clear-cut chances.
The Indian side raised the intensity in the second quarter with an aggressive high press, forcing errors from Germany. Abhishek created India’s best chance of the first half after a well-worked build-up, but the opportunity went unfinished.
In a tightly contested match where chances were limited, India continued to dominate possession and were rewarded in the third quarter. After earning their first penalty corner of the game, India took the lead through Jugraj Singh, who marked his milestone 100th appearance with a powerful drag-flick in the 38th minute.
Germany earned a couple of penalty corners towards the end of the third quarter, but goalkeeper Mohith HS stood firm to ensure India carried their one-goal advantage into the final period.
India had opportunities to extend their lead in the final quarter, with penalty corners and an open-play chance for Shilanand Lakra. However, Germany fought back and found the equaliser in the 56th minute through Justus Weigand, who converted a penalty corner to make it 1-1.
With just seconds remaining on the clock, Germany earned another penalty corner and Jakob Brilla found the winning goal in the 60th minute to seal a 2-1 victory for the world champions.
India will take on the Netherlands in their next match on Sunday.