London: India secures dominant 7-1 victory over Pakistan in FIH Pro League

By Rohan Gupta — 27 June 2026 — 3 min read

The Indian Men’s Hockey Team delivered a powerful performance, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 7-1 in the reverse fixture of their FIH Pro League London leg. The match, held at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre, saw India overcome an early deficit to secure a comprehensive victory.

Despite Pakistan taking an initial lead, India responded with seven goals. The goal scorers for India included Sukhjeet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Jugraj Singh, Abhishek, Raj Kumar Pal, and Dilpreet Singh. Midfielder Hardik Singh was recognized as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his influential role in the midfield.

First Quarter Action

The game began with high intensity from both sides. India earned the first penalty corner within the opening 90 seconds, initiated by a quick baseline run from Mandeep Singh. However, Pakistan‘s counter-attacks proved dangerous, leading to them winning a penalty corner in the 13th minute.

Following an unsuccessful video referral by India, Pakistan captain Abu Bakar Mahmood converted the penalty corner with a drag-flick in the 13th minute, giving his team a 1-0 lead as the first quarter concluded.

India Takes Control in Second Quarter

India asserted control in the second quarter, employing precise long passes to stretch the Pakistan defence. A setback occurred for Pakistan in the 18th minute when a deflected pass from Ali Ghazanfar accidentally struck teammate Ahmad Nadeem, forcing him to leave the field.

Capitalizing on this momentum, India earned a penalty corner a minute later. Skipper Harmanpreet‘s powerful drag-flick was expertly deflected into the net by Sukhjeet in the 20th minute, leveling the score at 1-1. Just six minutes later, in the 26th minute, India secured another penalty corner, and this time Harmanpreet directly smashed it into the top left corner, giving India a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.

Dominance Continues in Second Half

The ‘Men in Blue’ extended their dominance in the second half. In the 34th minute, India earned consecutive penalty corners, with the second resulting in a penalty stroke. Hardik calmly converted this opportunity, making the score 3-1. Pakistan attempted to respond by winning two penalty corners, but the Indian defence successfully blocked both attempts.

Immediately after blocking Pakistan‘s second penalty corner, India launched a rapid counter-attack. Dilpreet combined effectively with Sukhjeet before setting up Jugraj, who scored in the 35th minute, further extending India‘s lead to 4-1.

India‘s relentless attacking continued as Sukhjeet created another opening in the 41st minute, passing to Abhishek, who scored on the run to make it 5-1. Towards the end of the third quarter, India earned four consecutive penalty corners. On the fourth attempt, Raj Kumar Pal reacted quickly to guide the rebound from Harmanpreet‘s drag-flick into the open goal, pushing the lead to 6-1.

Final Quarter Performance

In the final quarter, India maintained strong defensive discipline while continuing to seek further scoring opportunities. In the 54th minute, Dilpreet concluded a brilliant team move by scoring India‘s seventh goal of the match, solidifying their commanding lead.

Pakistan earned back-to-back penalty corners in the closing minutes of the game. However, veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh stood firm, blocking both attempts and ensuring India‘s decisive 7-1 victory. The match took place on Friday, June 26, 2026.

Source: hockeyindia.org

Rohan Gupta

Sports Reporter