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India suffered their first defeat of the tournament as Sreejesh's boys went down 2-3 to Australia in a closely contested match. It was also the first loss for the Indians under the tutelage of coach Harendra Singh who took over in May.
Lachlan Sharp scored the opening goal for the World Champions just six minutes after the opening hooter but India came back strongly and found an equalizer in the 11th minute.
Both teams had issues executing their drag-flicks on account of a dry pitch and Birendra Lakra failed to stop the ball cleanly but SV Sunil pounced on to a deflection and set Varun Kumar up who tapped the ball in.
India could have taken the lead soon after but goalkeeper Tyler Lovell blocked Mandeep's shot and young Vivek Sagar found the back of the net but the ball seemed to have been fractionally outside the circle when the shot was taken.
It was the Aussies who took the lead instead, as Tom Craig scored in the 15th minute just after Sreejesh had executed a superb save off a PC.
The defensive lapse proved costly for India and Harendra's boys may have been in further trouble had it not been for Surender Kumar who effected a goalline save off another PC.
Trent Mitton was brilliant throughout and scored Australia's third goal just three minutes after the lemon break. The Aussies then chose to control the midfield and played the game at a pace of their own choosing.
Harmanpreet Singh reduced the deficit with a drag-flick in the dying minutes and could have found the equalizer as well via another PC, but in the end, Colin Batch's side earned three points to end the day as table toppers
India will look to get back to their winning ways against the Belgians tomorrow.
Belgium started their campaign against Australia and earned a well-deserved draw. The Red Lions failed to carry the momentum forward and suffered a humiliating 1-6 defeat against the hosts Holland in their second encounter. Belgium and Argentina (the finalists of the Rio Olympics) then played out a 1-1 draw.
India had got the better of Belgium in a group match of the Four-Nations Invitational in January this year, winning 5-4 in a thriller, but lost in finals of both legs of the same tournament. India's biggest victory against the Belgians, recently, was in the quarterfinal of the HWL Final in December last year when both teams were locked 3-3 at the end of regulation time with India prevailing in the shootout.
India shares the second place in the points table with Holland and tomorrow's match will be crucial for Harendra's boys in their quest for a place in the final.
Here is how you can catch up with all the action.
Event: FIH Men's Champions Trophy
Venue: Breda, Holland
Date: 28 June 2018
Time: 8:30 pm Indian Standard Time (IST)
Telecast: Star Sports 1, Star Sports HD1
Live Streaming: Hotstar
You can also follow all the LIVE Updates of this match on Sportskeeda!
Can India bounce back from their recent setback against Australia? Sound off your opinions in the comments section below!
