Rio M: India was just less than four seconds from posting a famous 1-1 draw against defending champions Germany, but ever alert Ruhr Christopher had different ideas when Martin Haner served him a powerful push into D, he applied his stick in right angle and right force on its flight to see the ball inside D, getting deflected from the stick of goalie PR Sreejesh.

Germans did the same trick in Monchengladbach ten years ago. In the opener of the home World Cup, they put past Adrian D’Souza a stunner with hardly five seconds left in the clock to defeat India 2-3. Same drama was enacted Deodora amphitheatre, with still less seconds left in the clock.

Otherwise the game was on even keel, India even getting two penalty corners more than the usually alert Germans.

Niklas Wellen stunned Indian goalie with a immaculate forehand off a distant freehit to Given Germany the lead (1-0) in the 17th minute after an exciting and equally played first quarter.

Despite being prodigal in the circle for the better part in the second quarter, SV Sunil sprinted past entire German defence to the his patented right flank, and then rushed into baseline and when blocked his moves able to put the ball on the foot of defender to earn the match’s first penalty corner.

The lanky Rupinder Pal Singh did not let the nation down. His power packed drag beat globally acclaimed goalie Nicolas Jacobi (1-1). The ball got crashed on the left middle of the cage. It was the talented executioner’s third goal in two outings.

India and Germany had fair amount equal exchanges, with India getting upper hand.

Indians missed some sitters in the first half of the match. When once Akash send a stinching short pass in a melee, usually alert Nikkin did not judge his move, and let the ball go out of baseline.

Same Nikkin in the first half did a wonderful chase and entered D on solo before whacking a forehand, but it went wide by hairbreadth, it has almost beaten goalie Nicolas Jacobi.

However, Indian story of losing the match in the last seconds continued. And it is what going to remain on record books.

INDIA: PR Sreejesh(gk), V Raghunath, Rupinder Pal Singh, Kothajit Singh, Surender Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sardar Singh, Devinder Walmiki, Danish Mujtaba, SK Uthappa, Nikkin Thimmaiah, SV Sunil, Chinglensana Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh. SB: Pardeep Mor, Vikas Dahiya. CHIEF COACH: Roelant Oltmans, MANAGER: Tushar Khandker, Physio: Shrikant Iyenkar, Masseur: Arup Naskar, Video: Aadhithya Chakravarthy, Scientific advisor: Mathew Fyles, Analytical Coach: Roger van Gent.

GERMANY: Jacobi Nicolas, Mathias Muller, Linus Butt, Haner Martin, Mortitz Trompertz, Mats Grambusch, Christopher Wesley, Timm Herzbruch, Tobias Hauke, Tom Grambusch, Christopher Ruhr, Martin Zwicher, Moritz Furste, Florian Fuchs, Timur Oruz, Niklas Wellen, SB: Oskar Deecke, Oliver Korn. CHIEF COACH: Valentine Altenburg COACH: Frederik Merz, MANAGER: Eric Langer.