Rourkela : India’s struggles in the home leg of the FIH Men’s Pro League 2025–26 season continued as they went down 2–4 to Argentina at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela on Saturday.
According to The Tribune, Argentina produced a clinical display to take control of the contest early on. Tomas Domene opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Tadeo Marcucci doubled the lead in the 28th. Lucio Mendez added a third in the 43rd minute, and Marcucci struck again in the 49th to complete his brace and put the visitors 4–0 ahead (The Tribune).
India responded late in the match. Aditya Lalage pulled one back in the 50th minute, showing sharp finishing inside the circle, while Sanjay converted a penalty stroke in the 59th minute to reduce the margin to 4–2. However, the comeback came too late to alter the result (The Tribune).
As reported by The Times of India, the defeat meant India finished the Rourkela leg without a win, registering four consecutive losses on home turf. The defensive frailties were evident throughout the leg, with the team conceding heavily, including an earlier 0–8 defeat to Argentina in the same phase of the tournament (The Times of India; Olympics.com).
The result adds to a worrying run in the Pro League campaign. As highlighted by RevSportz, India have struggled for consistency in recent matches, raising concerns ahead of major upcoming international events.
Match Details:
India 2 (Aditya Lalage 50′, Sanjay 59′)
Argentina 4 (Tomas Domene 18′, Tadeo Marcucci 28′, 49′, Lucio Mendez 43′)
With the home leg concluded, India will now look to regroup before the next phase of the Pro League season, hoping to correct defensive lapses and convert stronger starts into tangible results.
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