Paris. P R Sreejesh, playing his last tournament, once again proved to be the wall of Indian hockey and despite playing with ten players for 42 minutes, India defeated Britain 4-2 in the penalty shootout and entered the semi-finals of the Paris Olympics.
The Indian defence, led by 36-year-old Sreejesh, defended every attack of Britain and did not let them gain a lead. Britain attacked the Indian goal 28 times and succeeded only once. The match went into a shootout as the score remained tied at 1-1 till the stipulated time. In the shootout, captain Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay and Rajkumar Pal scored goals for India while only James Albery and Jacques Vallance could score goals for England. Connor Williamson missed the target and Philip Roper’s shot was saved by Sreejesh.
India will play the winner of the quarter-final between Germany and Argentina in the semi-final to be held on August 6.
In the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian team reached the last four by defeating Britain. Sreejesh proved to be India’s wall against Germany in the bronze medal match in Tokyo and he lived up to the expectations even in the toughest match of the Paris Olympics so far. In the stipulated time, Harmanpreet scored for India in the 22nd minute and Lee Morton in the 27th minute.
Britain took advantage of Rohidas’ red card and got a penalty corner in the 19th minute but could not score. India got a penalty corner in the 22nd minute in a counter-attack which Harmanpreet converted into a goal. This was her seventh goal in the Paris Olympics.
Britain continued to have an upper hand in ball control and tried a variation from a penalty corner in the 25th minute but failed to open their account.
The Indian defence, which was performing brilliantly till now, erred for the first time and in the 27th minute, Morton put the ball inside the goal from the circle in front of the goal. In the third quarter, the Indian team was again seen struggling to control the ball. Britain played aggressively from the very first minute and got a penalty corner in the 36th minute on which Sreejesh saved Farlong’s shot. Britain got the eighth penalty corner three minutes later on which both the first and rebound shots were saved by Indian defenders. Due to Sumit getting a green card in the last minute of the third quarter, India had to play with nine players for the first two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Britain continued to attack in the fourth quarter but India deserves praise for not conceding a goal despite having ten players.
Earlier in the opening quarter, the Indian defence showed great alertness and thwarted many attacks by Britain. Both teams got three penalty corners each in the first 15 minutes but could not score a goal. England got its first penalty corner on referral in the fifth minute itself on which experienced defender Amit Rohidas saved Jareth Furlong’s shot. The Odisha player also saved Jack Waller’s shot very well on the second penalty corner in the very next moment.
The Indian team came close to scoring a goal in the 11th minute when Sukhjeet Singh moved forward with the ball and passed it to Hardik Singh who passed it to Mandeep but Britain’s goalkeeper Ollie Penn saved it well. In the very next minute, Hardik passed the ball to Abhishek who was in great form in front of the goal but his aim was not right. In the next minute, England got a penalty corner which Sreejesh missed but Jarmanpreet showed great agility and stopped the ball with his stick and Sreejesh immediately took it out.
India got three consecutive penalty corners in the 13th minute but all three attempts by Harmanpreet failed.
This was the best performance by our defense: Harmanpreet Singh
Indian hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh on Sunday said that it was the best performance of the defence after playing with ten players against Britain in the shootout in the Paris Olympics quarter-final. After experienced defender Amit Rohidas received a red card in the 18th minute, India had to play with ten players for almost three quarters.
Harmanpreet, who has scored seven goals in the Paris Olympics so far, said, “We had no choice but to keep the score equal till the last moment. We focused on defense and played with a combination. The communication between the players was very good. This victory was achieved due to team efforts.” He said that the team had to forget the red card and move forward. He said, “We could not change what happened. We won due to team efforts. This was the best performance of our defense. It was not easy to play with ten players.”
He said, “We cannot be nervous at such a stage. It does not matter which team we are playing against, how many players are on the field, whether we are playing with ten players.” He praised goalkeeper P R Sreejesh but said that it was not a ‘one man show’. He said, “Sreejesh is a legend and one of the best. He saves matches for us but if you ask him, he will say that it is a team effort. The team comes first, then the individual.”
Former players praised the hockey team
If Tokyo 2020 breathed new life into the Indian men’s hockey team, Paris 2024 confirms that it is once again on its way to becoming a global giant. The Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian team, despite playing with 10 players for nearly 40 minutes of the 60-minute game, not only held Britain to a 1-1 draw in regulation time, but also entered the Olympic semi-finals for the second consecutive time by beating them 4-2 in the shootout.
In Tokyo, the men’s team won a bronze medal for the first time in 41 years, bringing new life to a sport in which India has a glorious past with eight Olympic golds. The last gold, however, came in 1980. The win in Paris is an assurance that the team is on the right track. It is no surprise that the hockey fraternity as well as the common man were in awe of the mental toughness and solidarity displayed by India on Sunday.
Captain of the 1975 World Cup winning team, Ajit Pal Singh, told PTI, “The kind of determination, fighting spirit and unity these players have shown today cannot be described in words. After one player was reduced, every player was supporting each other.” He said, “The way the defense was, it was world class and Sreejesh was a player of a completely different level. He kept improving in all the matches from the pool stage till now and the country is expecting another medal from the team.” Ajit Pal said, “The performance so far in Paris is proof that we can now beat any team in the world and it has started from Tokyo.” Former Indian captain Sardar Singh also praised the unity and fighting spirit of the team.
He said, “It is very difficult to play a hockey match with 10 players in modern times and that too in a pressure situation like the Olympic quarter-finals. But today they showed their skills. Players like Sreejesh, Manpreet (Singh) and Harmanpreet united the team and the youngsters also performed well.” The former captain said, “The way they played today, I don’t think they will return empty-handed from Paris. We will not be surprised if they top the podium.” Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha, who watched the match sitting in the stands in Paris, also praised the team.
Usha tweeted, “Great spirits shown today. A great win for Team India and Hockey wall Sreejesh who played brilliantly. Our best wishes to the entire team for the next match.” Former Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri also congratulated the Indian hockey team and especially Sreejesh on social media. He wrote on his Twitter page, “Wow. This match is not for the faint hearted. Defending with 10 players for such a long time is unmatched. Sreejesh you performed brilliantly. You are the best.”
I saw such a victory after many years, my tears did not stop: Dhanraj Pillai
“My tears were not stopping, I saw such good hockey after so many years and now I am sure that this team can bring us the Olympic gold after 44 years”, says the great hockey player Dhanraj Pillai. When the Indian team, despite being reduced to ten players, defeated Britain 4-2 in the penalty shootout in the Paris Olympics quarter-final, even legends like Dhanraj, who were sitting glued to the TV, jumped with joy.
Dhanraj, who has played four Olympics and four World Cups, said in a conversation with Bhasha, “Tears started falling from my eyes on their own. I saw such a match for the first time after Sydney Olympics 2000. Sreejesh was standing like a wall in front of the goalpost and the number of saves he made is nothing short of a miracle.” He said, “I had goosebumps while watching the match. I was so happy that I started shouting loudly after India’s fourth goal in the penalty shootout. People started telling me that the people in the building will come out, but I was so happy that I cannot describe it.” Dhanraj said, “After many years, I enjoyed the match to the fullest. I did not move from my place even for a minute.” Trying to control his emotions, he said, “I do not have words to praise this performance. It was not easy to play the quarter-final with ten players for 42 minutes. We became defensive but that was necessary. The way Sreejesh and our defenders played today and all four showed amazing skills in the penalty shootout.”
When asked what advice he would give to the team for the semi-finals, he said, “My advice would be to play in the same way and not put any pressure on yourself. The way this team has played these six matches, I am sure that after 44 years it can bring us an Olympic gold medal.” He said, “This team has everything that is needed to become an Olympic champion. Along with the players, I was seeing Craig Fulton and Shivendra Singh in the coaching staff how full of energy they were and how they were constantly standing and giving instructions.”