The Indian men’s junior team suffered a 3-6 loss to world No 2 Germany in the semi-final of the Sultan of Johor Cup at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Malaysia on Friday.

The Germans dominated the game and showed off their attacking prowess throughout the game. Nikas Berendts and Peer Hinrichs swiped two goals each, with one scoring a goal from a penalty corner and the other as a field goal. Christian Franz and Florian Sperling scored the other goals as they tore apart the Indian defense.

India found their footing in the third quarter as Amandeep Lakra found the back of the net to reduce the score difference. Later, India captain Uttam Singh deflected a long cross to score India’s second goal, while Rohit scored from a penalty corner in the very last minute of the game. However, India’s valiant efforts went up in smoke as they lost the match.

India will now compete for the third place, against the losing side in the other semifinal, between Australia and Pakistan.