India’s hopes of reaching the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2026 came to an end on Monday after a 5-3 defeat against Argentina in their final Pool E match at the Wagener Hockey Stadium.India head coach Craig Fulton admitted that his team’s slow start and inability to handle the pressure of a must-win game proved costly as Argentina took control early and held on despite a late Indian fightback.“It was a difficult day today. We didn’t want to end like that. We started poorly, but the second quarter was much better. The third quarter wasn’t good, but then we scored three goals in the last quarter and could have scored the fourth one too from a corner,” Fulton told PTI after the defeat.“Overall, it was a really strange game. We played at a high level in tournament, but in the big games we have to do better,” he added.Fulton also acknowledged that the qualification permutations surrounding India’s semifinal hopes affected the team’s performance.“There were a lot of permutations going into this game that got the better of us. In the last 10 minutes, we played better hockey. That was a little too late,” he said.
Argentina make India pay for slow start
India’s problems began almost immediately as Argentina scored just 41 seconds into the contest. Joaquin Toscani found the net from a tight angle to give Argentina an early lead. The world No. 7 side doubled its advantage in the 16th minute when Nicolas della Torre converted a penalty corner.India responded through Sukhjeet Singh, who pulled one back in the 10th minute with a field goal after a well-worked move involving Abhishek. India had spells of possession in the second quarter but struggled to make the most of their opportunities in the final third. Neither side managed to score in the second quarter, leaving Argentina 2-1 ahead at half-time.
Argentina pull away in third quarter
India needed a strong second-half response but instead found themselves further behind. Three minutes into the third quarter, Tomas Domene capitalised on a midfield dispossession to make it 3-1. India earned several penalty corners as they searched for a way back, but captain Harmanpreet Singh could not find a breakthrough.Argentina then received a penalty stroke just before the end of the quarter after an Indian defensive error. Domene made no mistake from the spot, completing his second goal of the match and putting Argentina 4-1 ahead. The deficit became even steeper in the fourth quarter when Lucas Toscani scored in the 53rd minute to make it 5-1.India finally found their attacking rhythm late in the match. Sukhjeet Singh scored his second goal in the 58th minute with a clever deflection before Hardik Singh converted a penalty stroke two minutes later to reduce the deficit to 5-3.India then earned another penalty corner in the dying seconds, but Argentina goalkeeper Tomas Santiago made the crucial save as the final hooter sounded. With their semifinal campaign over, India will now turn their attention to the classification playoff, where they will face co-hosts Belgium in the seventh-place match on Friday, August 28. India finished at the bottom of Pool E without a point, having also suffered a 3-1 defeat against the Netherlands.For Fulton, however, the immediate focus will be on addressing India’s struggles in high-pressure encounters.“We played at a high level in tournament, but in the big games we have to do better,” the coach said, summing up a disappointing end to India’s World Cup campaign.
