Paris Olympics: Harman’s double, Sreejesh’s saves help India bag bronze, second in a row after 52 years
Paris, Aug 8 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored a brace of goals as the Indian men’s hockey team fought back from a goal down to prevail 2-1 over Spain and bagged a second successive bronze medal in the Olympic Games here on Thursday, giving seasoned goalkeeper PR Sreejesh a memorable farewell in his last match. Tokyo Olympic Games bronze medallist India were trailing by a goal scored by Marc Miralles scored off a penalty stroke in the 18th minute before India scored through Harmanpreet scored twice in the 30th minute and 33rd minute off penalty corners as India fought back brilliantly to win their second successive bronze medal in the Olympics in 52 years. India had last won successive bronze medals in the 1968 and 1972 Games before this. This medal takes India’s tally in hockey to 13 in the Olympic Games with eight gold, one silver and four bronze medals adding to the country’s stature as the most successful country in field hockey at the Olympics. This is India’s fourth medal in the Paris Olympic Games, all bronze medals, adding to the three won in shooting. While Harmanpreet Singh struck the two goals, it was goalkeeper Sreejesh, who had already announced his retirement from the game, made it possible as he stood like the Rock of Gibraltar and thwarted attempt after attempt from the Spaniards as they went in search of the equaliser. There were a lot of anxious moments for India as Spain earned nine penalty corners in all but could not convert any. India on the other hand earned six penalty corners and converted two of them, India defended bravely in the last 5-6 minutes putting their bodies on the line at times to thwart the Spanish. India had finished second in Pool B, stunning Australia for the first time in the Olympics in five decades. They then overcame Great Britain in the Quarterfinal in a shoot-out. The team played its heart out in the semifinal against World Champion Germany but ended on a losing note, suffering a narrow defeat. But they made up for that with a fine come-from-behind win to seal a second successive medal. It was a superb win and also signals the resurgence of Indian hockey which had gone into a nosedive from the 80s till 2020 before things turned around in Tokyo. But it all looked going up in smoke as the Indians took the field hoping to overcome the grief of losing a nerve-jingling semifinal to Germany. The opening quarter saw some top-class action by both teams, showcasing their intent to finish on the podium. While both were on par with each other with the ball possession, India looked more dominant with a fierce attacking structure. They created early chances through some handy work by Hardik Singh, finding gaps in the left flank, and setting up Sukhjeet in the centre of the D. The young forward pulled a powerful shot but was deflected wide. Almost immediately after, a quick-fire shot came from the left flank by Gurjant Singh but was well-saved. This was perhaps the best chance for a goal out of the nine circle entries India made in the opening quarter while their defence allowed Spain into their circle just twice. Only minutes into the second quarter, India were on the back foot when they conceded a penalty stroke and Miralles stepped up and converted it to give Spain the lead. India showed great intent in search for the equaliser and the players rallied around as they went on the attack. That moment finally came when Harmanpreet Singh finally converted their second penalty corner in the 30th minute with a stunning drag-flick. With an equaliser in their kitty, India looked more positive as they entered into the third quarter. They took a crucial 2-1 lead in the 33rd minute when Harmanpreet struck a splendid goal, thus taking his individual score in the tournament to an impressive 10. India built on the momentum from their second goal, dominating the ball possession to up the ante. They created another PC in the 36th minute, but could not convert. The following few minutes got feisty with India finding a couple of more opportunities to extend their lead but Spain’s defenders particularly Ignacio Rodriguez were up to the task of stopping India from taking a formidable lead in the third quarter. Only 15 minutes away from a historic bronze medal, India really had to hold on to their nerves. The play slowed down a bit, with India dropping pace in their attack. They played carefully, not making any hasty moves while Spanish attackers showed their desperation to score an equaliser. Every single Indian player on the pitch was vigilant, not allowing any errors. With the clock ticking away, Miralles helped Spain win a PC in the crucial moments. With one minute and 26 seconds on the clock, India did brilliantly well with Sreejesh getting a beautiful deflection. The drama didn’t end there with Spain taking a referral to check dangerous play after Sreejesh’s deflection went high up. To Indian fans’ relief, Spain lost the referral but it didn’t end there. With 44 seconds left, Spain managed another PC. Sreejesh made a flying save to thwart Spain again. Though Spain won a re-take, they fumbled and India did extremely well to give it their all to clinch another historic medal, a hard-earned one in this Olympic Games. —
