India 0-8 Argentina Hockey Highlights, FIH Pro League: Los Leones Humiliate Insipid Men In Blue

Good evening and welcome, Indian hockey lovers. The national team aims to reset after a loss in its season opener and we will bring to you the build-up and live updates from their Argentina face-off.

Pushback is scheduled for 7:30pm IST. The India vs Argentina, FIH Pro League 2025-26 hockey match will be telecast on the Star Sports Khel TV channel in India. It will be live streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in the country.

Suraj Karkera starts in goal again for the hosts, with Pawan in the subs. This is how India and Argentina line up tonight:

India let in two goals in the final quarter to suffer a 1-3 defeat to Belgium on Wednesday. Nelson Onana (23rd minute), Thomas Crols (53rd) and Arno Van Dessel (57th) scored for Belgium while Shilanand Lakra (29th) was the goal-scorer for India.

The two sides were locked 1-1 at the half time as well as at the end of the third quarter, before Belgium pumped in two goals in the final 15 minutes.

After the customary pre-match rituals and both countries' national anthems, the first quarter gets underway in Rourkela. India attacking from left to right and Argentina the other way in the first half.

End-to-end action in the initial few minutes. Argentina garner the first penalty corner of the game in the 10th minute by foraying into the Indian circle a couple of times to make the pressure tell.

How fortunes fluctuate! India earn a penalty stroke owing to a foul in the D, and captain Harmanpreet steps up to take it. Argentina goalie Tomas Santiago saves it but Harmanpreet appeals that he moved before the whistle. The TV umpire confirms that and the stroke is retaken. Harmanpreet goes low to the right and Santiago saves it again!

Moments later, Argentina pounce on a counter via Tomas Ruiz to find the back of a stunned India's net.

Argentina strike again! Tomas Domene scores at the stroke of the first quarter end to make the scoreline the visitors' favour. India under immense pressure all of a sudden.

India are having a torrid outing. The penalty stroke miss seems to have affected Harmanpreet as well as his teammates and a number of defensive mistakes have crept in. Tomas Domene nets his second goal in the 20th minute and Lucio Mendez makes it 4-0 in the 22nd.

The onslaught is relentless. India have no answer to Argentina's circle entries, let alone making any of their own. Ignacio Ibarra nets in the 25th minute and Tomas Domene completes his hat-trick in the 27th. India are six down with the first half yet to conclude.

Is there any way this first half could have gone worse for India? I don't think so. Nicholas della Torre piles in a seventh goal, seconds before the half-time hooter to compound the hosts' miseries. This is a proper thrashing, a scoreline that nobody could have seen coming. There still is 30 minutes of hockey left to be played, but do the Indians have the mental strength to recover from this?

The third quarter is underway and Argentina continue to stay on the offence. They know India are nervous and on the backfoot and want to capitalize on that, knowing all these goals can come in handy later in the season.

No goals in the second half as yet. India finally beginning to build some defensive solidity, but unfortunately, the ship has most probably sailed already.

The third quarter goes goalless, which is small consolation for India. They bring back Pawan as the custodian for the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Argentina earn yet another penalty corner and the hosts thwart this one.

Six-odd minutes remain. India have managed to stem the Argentine attack wave, but now need to create openings of their own. Even a couple of goals before the final hooter could do the team a world of good in confidence.

It is perhaps fitting that Argentina did get another goal in, and again owing to Indian defence's laxity. Tomas Domene nets his fourth goal in the 60th minute to cap off a spectacular evening for himself.

There comes the final hooter, mercifully for India. The hosts would want to erase this night from their memory as soon as possible; if not, remember what went missing in what was one of their most insipid outings in recent times. They next face Belgium again on Saturday (February 14).