A valiant Indian women’s hockey team squandered a one-goal lead to lose 2-3 to Olympic silver medallist Argentina in the second match of the double-leg FIH Pro League tie here on Sunday.

Argentina won the FIH Pro League crown, finishing with 42 points from 16 games, 10 clear of second placed Netherlands, who still have two games remaining.

The Indians continued to occupy the third position in the standings in their debut season with 24 points from 12 games. In the first match on Saturday, the Indians had dished out a spirited performance to stun Argentina 2-1 in the shoot-out after a 3-3 stalemate in regulation time.

Their confidence on a high after that win, India continued in the same vein and put pressure on the Argentine defence early on. The two teams fought tooth and nail in the first quarter but failed to break the deadlock. India struggled to match the pace of Argentina and play was mostly centred inside the Indian half.