PR Sreejesh replaced Pathak in India goal and was quickly called into action when he smartly cleared the ball after Harmanpreet was caught in possession in his defensive quarter. Argentina were reduced to 10 players after Nicolas Keenan was shown a yellow card at the end of the second half.

As the second half got underway both teams got a little jittery. Passes went astray and possession was lost all too easily. One of the reasons for this is the keen sense of competition between the two sides. Of their last 10 meetings, each side has won four times and there have been two draws. They are also close in the FIH World Rankings with India ranked fourth and Argentina sixth.

The breakthrough came when Gurjant Singh scored a field goal in the 38th minute. The ball was crashed forwards by Mandeep Singh and Gurjant was perfectly positioned behind the Argentina defence to tip it past Tomas Santiago in the Argentina goal.

Led by Odisha defender Amit Rohidas for the first time, India had more chances in the quarter as their swift and precise passing left the Argentina players chasing shadows. However, it was Argentina, against the run of play, who scored the equaliser. A shot by Nicolas Acosta took a deflection and the ball shot past Pathak to bring the scores level.

With seven minutes left, Argentina won a penalty corner. Nicolas Keenen injected the ball and Nicolas della Torres played the ball back to Keenan, who lifted it home to give his team the lead.

India nearly scored just seconds later as Shilanand Lakra hit the ball goalwards and Sukhjeet Singh came tantalisingly close to directing it home, only to see it fly past the post.

With India still pressing for a goal, a direct run by Jarmanpreet Singh saw the player felled by an Argentina defender. The ensuing penalty corner was again well run down by Argentina number one runner, Thomas Habif.

With under 60 seconds left on the clock, India managed to gain possession. A quick break saw the ball fall to Mandeep Singh and he fired home the equaliser.

Argentina took the bonus point in the ensuing shoot-out. Keenan, Tomas Domene, Lucas Toscani all scored for Argentina, and Santiago made a fabulous save from Abishek. For India, only Harmanpreet scored his attempt. Argentina captain Matias Reyes was awarded as the Player of the Match.

The result means India remain in second place in the FIH Pro League behind Netherlands, with Argentina in fourth position, one point behind Germany.
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TOP: File photo of Odisha defender Amit Rohidas, who led India Senior Men Hockey Team for the first time in their FIH Pro League match against Argentina in Bhubaneswar on 19 March 2022.
RIGHT: Argentina captain Matias Reyes poses with the Player of the Match Award in Bhubaneswar on 19 March 2022.