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A spirited India defeated Germany to clinch their second consecutive bronze medal in the FIH Hockey World League. A narrow 2-1 victory helped the 'Men in Blue' secure third place in a thrilling encounter held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Unlike their previous encounter in the group stage, it was India who relentlessly attacked Germany right from the outset. Dominating their opponents, the Indian team kept control of the ball for most of the time and refused to budge even an inch.
The attacking prowess reaped rewards for India soon enough. A brilliant pass by Akashdeep Singh was dexterously deflected into the German goalpost by the experienced Somwarpet Vittalacharya Sunil. The 21st minute goal handed India a surprise lead of 1-0 which they skillfully maintained till half time.
However, Germany were not going to take this lying down. They intensified their attack in the third quarter. Even though India miraculously saved four of their penalty corners without breaking a sweat, a deflection in the 36th minute was enough for German striker Mark Appel to secure a field goal.
As the final quarter began, the score was locked at 1-1. Instead of being cowed down by the goal, the Indians were switched on and earned a slew of penalty corners. The final one was converted by star defender Harmanpreet Singh into a smart goal. The distraught Germans took a video referral. But the goal was upheld, much to the cheers of the vociferous home crowd.
The Indians began to ensure that the ball remained in their possession. Save for an unnecessary aggression shown by Mandeep Singh in the final minute, they were absolutely ruthless and managed to keep up with the expectations of everyone present in the arena.
With their memorable triumph, India replicated their bronze medal from the previous edition of the tournament. They have joined Australia as the only teams to finish on the podium from the two editions of the FIH Hockey World League. On the other hand, Germany managed their best ever finish in the tournament despite the defeat.
