Boom: India went down 1-2 to Argentina, after squandering 12 penalty corners in a crucial match of the Champions Challenge men’s hockey tournament here on Thursday.

Jorge Lombi (39th) and skipper Mario Nicolas Almada (60th) scored for Argentina while Sandeep Singh struck through a penalty stroke in the 64th minute for India.

India, thus, remain on six points after four matches while Argentina moved to nine with three wins and a loss.

India had more than their share of chances, but simply did not have the sharpness to capitalise on them. To make matters worse, a terrible defensive blunder late in the game presented Argentina with their second goal that effectively sealed the fate of the match.

Ironically, Sandeep spent more time on the bench and was not on hand for India’s first six penalty corners. When he did return to the field, he failed to score off the next six.