That will be all from us. A stunning result for France.
FULL TIME: What a turnaround. Feb 9: India beat France; 5-0 Feb 12: France beat India 5-2.
Stunning performance by the ever improving French side who also had a 2-2 draw in between these two matches. (Clement is a star in the making!)
FT: France 5-2 India The 13th ranked side in the world, France, has beaten world no 3, India. Fabulous fight and they took their chances.
Q4, France 5-2 India: GOAL! WOW. What a finish by the French. It is that man Timothee Clement, the Junior World Cup star puts the final nail in the coffin for the Indians. Done and dusted now.
Q4, France 4-2 India: GOAL! A PC for France results in a goal, the big man Charlet.
Q4, France 3-2 India: back-to-back PCs for India with less than 2 mins left. A complete mistrap from India sees France break forward and nearly score. Chaotic from India! And India have conceded a PC now. No referral left either. Poor play from the men in white.
Q4, France 3-2 India GOAL INDIA! Harmanpret Singh scores off a penalty stroke and India have a lifeline with 3 mins to go. 2-3. Gursahibjit won the original stroke down the right byline after a defensive error from France.
Q4, France 3-1 India: Masson gets a green card, out for half of the remainder of the match. India created a half chance from that phase of play, no goal.
Q4, France 3-1 India: Five mins to go. Think India are 0 out of 9 for PCs in this match so far. None of what they have tried have worked, despite a fair few options.
Q4, France 3-1 India: PC for India again. And another stunning rush from the French defence. India lose their referral too. 8 mins to go. (India have struggled from set pieces today despite plenty of opportunities)
Q4, France 3-1 India: PC for India. A stunning save! Arthur Thieffry again. He roars in delight like he scored. Low to his right from Harmanpreet, but he got there in time.
Q4, France 3-1 India: GOAL FRANCE! India shoot themselves in the foot, quite literally, as they concede a PC. And it is that man Timothee Clement with the drag flick, deflected into the goal through the rusher by Charles Masson.
Start of Q4, France 2-1 India: India might start getting desperate now... France so solid so far.
Q3, France 2-1 India: First time in the match really that India have managed to produce sustained pressure on the French goal. PC after PC after PC, France hanging on for now. Great defensive work.
Q3, France 2-1 India: Good referral from India, and it is another PC.
Q3, France 2-1 India: Varun Kumar with superb combination and drives down the byline but THIEFFRY Arthur (GK) is sharp once again. Saved.
Q3, France 2-1 India: Another PC for India. This is more threatening, Harmanpreet Singh with a good drag flick that is saved by the French goalkeeper.
Q3, France 2-1 India: Question of response now. France have deservedly taken the lead again and India are once again playing catch up. The PCs, three of them so far for India, haven’t quite been effective. Good pressure now from India in French half.
Q3, France 2-1 India: India have a PC now... third of the match. Need to make this count.
Q3, France 2-1 India: Even after the goal, France seem to carry more attacking threat. This has been a lackluster Indian performance so far.
Q3, France 2-1 India, GOAL FRANCE! And you must say, well deserved. The ball falls to Lockwood in the circle, perhaps a hint of fortune there, but he rifles a powerful shot through Sreejesh’s legs.
Q3, France 1-1 India: France have started the second half better. India yet to get a foothold. There is so much to like about this French side, who are making a great impression on debut in South Africa.
Q3, France 1-1 India: PC for France... Sreejesh back in goal. And he has to be alert to save that. Good left foot extension. Another PC follows. India manage to hold on. France want to challenge that but too late says the official.
Second half underway
HALF TIME: India 1-1 France Well, that was a lovely half of hockey. Like they did against Netherlands, the French have been dynamic against India too. Reid will want improvements from his side.
Green card for Shailanand Lakra with seconds to go in the half.
Q2, France 1-1 India: Oh stunning counterattack by France, should have been ahead there. India struggling to contain the French pace where there is a breakaway. Charles Masson runs the length of the pitch, holds the ball well and works out a good 1-2, the shot is off target.
Q2, France 1-1 India: GOAL, INDIA! Jarmanpreet Singh controls a good long ball and cuts one back to the danger area, the French defender deflects it in. No own goals in hockey of course, so it will go to Jarmanpreet.
Q2, France 1-0 India: CHANCE INDIA! A powerful Jugraj Singh drag flick is saved brilliantly by the French goalkeeper.
Q2, France 1-0 India: A PC for India now... they need to test the goalkeeper here.
Q2, France 1-0 India: France took the lead against Netherlands and now France take the lead against India too. Now it is a proper test for Manpreet’s men (if it wasn’t already clear from France’s draw against Netherlands)
Q2, France 1-0 India: GOAL, FRANCE! Well, well. Timothee Clement broke away on a counter and India conceded a Penalty Stroke (France had to review). Victor Charlet makes no mistake against Krishan Pathak.
Q2, France 0-0 India: A surprise PC for India and the trap was missed. That was not good from India, who have otherwise been good with PCs in the last couple of matches.
End of Q1: India 0-0 France “Get to the 50-50 balls first. Wake up, got to be better than that”: Graham Reid says in the Indian huddle. It was a decent start but they need to buck up in the attacking third. France, to be fair, have been steady in their work.
Q1, France 0-0 India: Oh best chance of the match so far. Nilakanta with a good long ball into the circle. Varun tries a cute deflection but it goes wide.
Q1, France 0-0 India: Nice even game now... France enjoying a good spell.
Q1, France 0-0 India: India pegging France back more and more now. Creating a couple of half chances.., but still no real goal threat from either side. 9 mins left in Q1.
Q1, France 0-0 India: Great attacking intent from both sides early on, India better to start off. Some nice combinations and flank switches already. Mandeep wants a PC after a good run down the byline but not given.
Here’s India’s starting XI. India are in white today. Looking to make it three wins out of three. France will give them a good test today, you’d imagine. The 5-0 result from earlier might not matter much.
Sports fans. Ready for some hockey action? After impressive wins against France and South Africa, Manpreet Singh and Co continue their Pro League campaign. They take on France again today. The young squad are on a high, after an impressive 2-2 draw against Netherlands.
9.15 pm: Hello everyone and welcome to our live coverage of Indian hockey as Manpreet Singh and Co continue their campaign in the FIH Pro League. After a 5-0 win against France and a 10-2 win against hosts South Africa, they take on France again today.
A scintillating first half performance from India; a resilient response from South Africa; a calm shoot-out performance from the Netherlands; and a first FIH Hockey Pro League point for France. This was how Day Two FIH Hockey Pro League action panned out in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
India men marched on with a 10-2 victory over South Africa, to add to the 5-0 victory they enjoyed over France the preceding day. The win moves them to third in the FIH Hockey Pro League table.
Not only did India play a scintillating form of passing and creative hockey but their goals were emphatic and clinical - not least the hat trick of penalty corners from Jugraj Singh, who was Player of the Match on his second appearance for the senior side.
(Report by FIH)
Screenshots in the blog courtesy: Disney+Hotstar / FIH