India went down to hosts Spain 1-4 in the first of the three-match series in their ongoing Europe tour at Sant Cugat del Valles, near Barcelona, on Monday night.
India went down to hosts Spain 1-4 in the first of the three-match series in their ongoing Europe tour at Sant Cugat del Valles, near Barcelona, on Monday night.
The lone goal for the visitors came from forward S.V. Sunil, who drew parity in the first quarter but it was only downhill for the visitors from there on.
Spain shot ahead in the ninth minute through a field effort. However, India reacted quickly and were on the attack.
A minute later, V.R. Raghunath gave a long pass to Sunil, who received the pass in the circle. He dribbled past a defender to score. The Indians then did well to maintain the 1-1 score till end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, both sides stepped up and fought harder. In the third, Spain managed to earn a penalty corner in the 31st minute and Pau Quemada converted it put the hosts ahead. The Indians counter-attacked but despite continuous efforts, could not materialise make a breakthrough.
In the final quarter, Spain pumped in two more goals — through Jordi Carrera and Roc Oliva — to put the issue beyond the Indians.
