Harmanpreet's brilliance, Sreejesh's grit fetches India bonus point in shootout win over Argentina
FIH Pro League
Buenos Aires: The Indian men's hockey team snatched a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Olympic champions Argentina after Harmanpreet Singh kept the side afloat in regulation time with his two goals in the action-packed first game of their FIH Pro League tie here.
In an engrossing contest between two evenly-matched teams, it was Harmanpreet (21st minute) who gave India a 1-0 lead with a superbly executed penalty corner early in the second quarter before a quick-fire double from Martin Ferreiro (28th, 30th) put Los Leones into a 2-1 lead at half time.
Argentina held onto their lead until the dying seconds of the match, when Harmanpreet (60th) stepped up to the mark to tie the scores with a second-phase penalty corner for the visitors, who were playing their first Pro League match after more than a year.
The draw guaranteed a point for each team, but it was the tourists who walked away with the bonus point, thanks largely to some brilliant goalkeeping by PR Sreejesh.
As per the event's rules, the team winning the shoot-out also walks away with the bonus point.
Sreejesh denied Lucas Vila, Martin Ferreiro and Ignacio Ortiz before Dilpreet Singh sealed a 3-2 win in the one-on-ones with a cool finish against veteran Argentina goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi.
The result meant India consolidated their fifth position in the FIH Hockey Pro League standings with 12 points from seven matches. Argentina are placed sixth, with 11 points from as many games.
Harmanpreet was deservedly declared player-of-the-match.
"I think the most important thing was that we never gave up," Harmanpreet said. "We were fighting until the last minute, and that is why we got a result here."
Asked what his team needs to improve on for the second game to be played later in the day, Harmanpreet said: "We got lots of cards today, so I think we need to improve on that. We need to keep that in mind so in the next match, we don't get any cards."
The two teams will face each other again on Sunday.
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Regulator DGCA eases flight duty norms for pilots amid IndiGo crisis
Mumbai (PTI): Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday eased the flight duty norms by allowing substitution of leaves with a weekly rest period amid massive operational disruptions at IndiGo, according to sources.
As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, "no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest", which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately. The clause was part of efforts to address fatigue issues among the pilots.
Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision 'no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest' from the FDTL norms.
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"In view of the ongoing operational disruptions and representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, it has been considered necessary to review the said provision," DGCA said in a communication dated December 5.
The gaps in planning ahead of the implementation of the revised FDTL, the second phase of which came into force from November 1, have resulted in crew shortage at IndiGo and is one of the key reasons for the current disruptions.
#BREAKING: #DGCA relaxes a clause which debarred airlines to club leaves with weekly rest to mitigate #IndiGo crisis
— Economic Times (@EconomicTimes) December 5, 2025
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