The German team had a total of 65 senior caps to their name, with one of the youngest players, 18-year-old Jette Fleschütz, with one of the highest cap counts at 18.

By contrast, Shushila Pukhrambam, was celebrating 200 caps for India and would have hoped for a more conclusive performance by her team. Certainly Head Coach Janneke Schopman will be looking for a more intensive performance by her players in the second match against Germany.

It was honours even at the end of the first half as Navneet Kaur gave India the lead with field goal in the fourth minute and then Carlotta Sippel equalised for Germany, converting a penalty corner in the fifth minute.

The remainder of the half continued in much the same vein, with Germany having a greater share of possession, including three penalty corners, to none for India. Neither side, however, were able to find a way past the two goalkeepers; Savita for India and Mali Wichmann, who was making her debut for Germany.

The third quarter saw India pushing forwards to a greater degree. Two penalty corners, both struck by Gurjit Kaur, brought two good saves from Wichmann. As the time counted down, there was a sense that some of the punchiness had left the German game, allowing India more time to run at the goal. However, it was Die Danas who came closest to breaking the deadlock when a shot seemed to have crossed the India goalline; eventually it was cleared to safety.

The final quarter saw both teams digging deep to find the winning goal. The momentum looked to be with India as they responded to the encouragement from the stands. However, Germany dug deep and looked highly experienced as they managed the game well and kept tight discipline in the face of increased India pressure.

In the shoot-out, Pauline Heinz and Sara Strauss scored for Germany, while Navneet Kaur sounded the board for India. While neither side showed great finishing in the shoot-out, credit should go to Mali Wichmann in the German goal as she saved four attempts and made a great video referral to get a penalty stroke overturned on a technicality. Carlotta Sippel (Germany) was awarded as the Player of the Match.

The result means India remain in third position in the league table behind Argentina and Netherlands. On the other hand, Germany remain in fifth place, on level points with Spain but with an inferior goal difference.

From Odisha point of view, the match proved to be more disappointing as neither of its two players _ Deep Grace Ekka and Mariana Kujur _ got the opportunity to play. It may be mentioned that two Odisha players were part of the 22-member Indian team announced by Hockey India for the Pro League matches against Germany. Even Ekka had been named vice-captain of the team.
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TOP: Players of the Indian women team warm-up for their first Pro League match against Germany in Bhubaneswar on 12th March 2022.
RIGHT: German players in action during their first Pro League match against India in Bhubaneswar on 12th March 2022.