Indian men's hockey team suffer 2-3 defeat against Spain

The Indian men's hockey team suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Spain in their second game of the two-match tour here in Madrid last evening.

The high-scoring encounter started off cagily as both teams started off the blocks slowly, defending deep and not looking for adventurous forays into the others half. Spain were the ones who came closest in the first quarter, with a penalty corner which was defended by India to ensure they went into the first break tied in a stalemate.

Five minutes into the second period, Spain provided the breakthrough, thanks to Josep Romeu for converting their second PC to take the lead. The two teams went into the break separated by that single strike.

India came out stronger in the second half and Manpreet Singh soon had them back in the game with a smart field goal in the 38th minute. Spain took the lead again within four minutes with another PC, this time converted by Pau Quemada. The two teams went into the final break with Spain leading 2-1.

In the final quarter, with the clock ticking down, India started pushing forward in numbers to get the equalizer as Spain absorbed the pressure waiting for the counter. The hosts had their third via one finished by Salvador Piera in the 53rd minute. Ramandeep scored India's second in the 57th minute, sparking a mini comeback but Spain held on to take the victory.