Berlin, Jun 21 (PTI) The Indian junior men's hockey team began its 4-Nation tournament campaign with a loss, going down 1-7 to hosts Germany here on Saturday.

Germany took early control of the match with Nico Kistein (4th minute) opening the scoring with a penalty corner conversion, followed by a swift field goal from Alec Von Schwerin (5th) to give the hosts a 2-0 lead inside the first five minutes.

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India struggled to gain a foothold, and Germany extended their lead in the second quarter through Hasbach Ben (25th) as the hosts were 3-0 ahead at half time.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Germany continuing to dominate possession and territory.

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Paul Babic (39th) made it 4-0 before India found a brief spark in the final quarter.

Forward Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (50th) pulled one back with a well-taken field goal, offering a glimmer of hope for the Indian colts.

But the hosts responded instantly. Hasbach Ben struck twice more (51st, 54th) to complete his hat-trick, while Babic (54th) added his second, capping off a commanding win for Germany.

India will aim to bounce back when they face Australia on Sunday, followed by a clash against Spain on Tuesday.

The 4-Nation Tournament features India, Germany, Australia, and Spain in a single round-robin format.

The top two teams will advance to the final, while the other two will compete for third place.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)