FIH Pro League 2024–25: India win over England 2-1 after a spectacular comeback led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, who scored two goals. In a thrilling match on Monday, the Indian team lost to England 2-3 in the first leg. However, in the final home leg match at Kalinga Stadium, the hosts mounted a strong comeback to win.
India is currently in third place in the Pro League standings at the halfway point of the season, one point behind leaders Belgium and England, both of whom have sixteen points.
The game got off to a cagey start, with hardly any goalmouth action during the first quarter despite both teams managing a respectable number of circle entries. Conor Williamson scored for England in the 30th minute, and Harmanpreet scored in the 26th and 32nd minutes.
India took the lead in the second quarter after Harmanpreet scored from a penalty corner, but Williamson’s goal tied the score at one to send the two teams into the third.
Following the interval, India pushed ahead, with Abhishek and Hardik Singh playing key roles. Once more, Harmanpreet took the lead with a dragflick that was even more potent than the first. On that side of the goal, despite a man on the post, he sent the ball into the top right corner. With self-defense taking precedence over preventing the goal, that defender only acted evasively, and with good reason.
In the fourth quarter, India gave up a couple of penalty corners, but Karkera was outstanding in goal, making vital saves to maintain Craig Fulton’s team’s lead.and had three losses and five victories at the end of their home leg campaign.
