India's women fell to their first defeat of the 2025 FIH Pro League season, as they went down 4-3 to Spain at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, in a topsy-turvy game that the hosts just couldn't keep the intensity up in towards the end,
India started really well, and put serious pressure on the Spanish goal, with Baljeet Kaur and Lalremsiami missing some gilt-edged opportunities. Eventually, though, India took the lead through Baljeet, after lovely play in midfield from Rutuja Dadaso Pisal, before she released Deepika down the left, for a low reverse-hit cross, that Baljeet only had to divert into an empty net for her first goal for the country.
India went behind though, as Spain hit back with two quick goals from Florencia Amundson and Estel Petchame, which meant that at the half-time interval, Harendra Singh needed to find solutions to help India ocerturn the deficit.
Whatever he said at half-time certainly did work. India came out a completley different side in the second half, as they played outstanding, front-foot hockey. They were rewarded midway through the debutant Sakshi Rana, who scored her first goal for the country. Rana pressed high, won the ball right on the edge of the circle, then carried it in and unleashed a fierce reverse strike that thundered into the backboard.
India rode the wave of that momentum, and soon retook the lead. It was a move that originated with some superb play between Neha and Rana in midfield, before the former slid a through ball in for Deepika down the left. She ran across the byline, and cut a pass back to Pisal, who somehow scrambled the ball into the Spanish net to give India the lead. It made it goals in successive international games for Pisal, who also scored the equaliser that helped India draw 2-2 in regulation time in their last game against England on Sunday.
However, India couldn't keep that lead, as they gave away an equaliser with poor defending. A shot from a penalty corner by Costanza Amundson hit Lalremsiami on the foot, and that led to the whole Indian defence just freezing in anticipation of the umpire's whistle to award Spain a penalty corner. However, Petchame was awake to that situation, pounced on the rebound, and rifled a powerful strike home for her second of the game. Even worse for India, they went behind again, thanks to Lucia Jimenez's magnificent reverse strike with eight minutes left on the clock. India had it all to do right at the end of the game, but this time they couldn't manage to do what they did on Sunday, and ended up taking no points from this fixture.
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