Abhishek (12′), Harmanpreet (13′, 32′) score in India’s historic win; The team will carry this confidence into their Quarter-Final match on 4 August~
Paris, 2nd August 2024: Indian Men’s Hockey Team played to their true potential to beat Australia 3-2 in a thrilling pool B encounter at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Friday. This is the first time in 52 years that the Indian Team has registered a win against the Australian side. The last time they beat the mighty Aussies was in the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. It was goals by Abhishek (12′) and Harmanpreet Singh (13′, 32′) that made this stunning win possible while Sreejesh held sway in the goalpost.
It was a special win, ahead of their Quarter Final match on 4 August, said Captain Harmanpreet Singh. “I think we ticked off all the right boxes today. Starting the way we did and then some brilliant saves by Sreejesh ensured we stayed ahead in the game. It is a special win ahead of the Quarter-Finals. It gives us a lot of confidence,” expressed the Captain after the historic match.
India got off to a dream start, aggressive in their attack and relentless in their defence. Despite missing a relatively easy chance early in the first quarter when Jarmanpreet delivered a fine cross to an unmarked Shamsher Singh inside the D, India rallied back in the following minutes with stupendous goals by Abhishek and Harmanpreet while India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh showcased great reflexes to keep Australia in the hunt for a goal. Abhishek scored India’s opening goal in the 12th minute while the Skipper doubled the lead in the 13th minute.
Starting on the backfoot, the Australians came out with vigour in the second quarter. They added intensity to their attack, and made excellent attacking moves to assist Tim Brand to take a shot on goal but he was wide off the mark. Though they looked off-target today, Australia finally found the back of the net when Thomas Craig successfully converted a PC in the 25th minute. Though Manpreet Singh made a laudable effort in defending the PC as the rusher, Craig’s powerful drag made it past India’s defence.
At the half-time break, India looked like the better side with higher ball possession, but Australia were more consistent in their attack. Thanks to the efforts of Sreejesh, who made multiple saves to deny Australia an equaliser
The third quarter began with the experienced goalkeeper making a stupendous save which allowed Mandeep to launch a speedy counter attack, winning India a penalty corner. A referral by India eventually upheld by the third umpire saw them being awarded a stroke. An incredible opportunity like this rarely ever goes amiss when Harmanpreet Singh is on the pitch.
He broke no sweat to beat Andrew Charter at the post, putting India ahead by 3-1. This 32nd-minute goal helped India put the pressure back on Australia, which had managed to find momentum after Craig’s goal. This was an important quarter for India, which continued to pursue its attacking onslaught while its defence was kept in check, with some special efforts on display by Jarmanpreet.
While Australia failed to threaten India’s defence, India looked more confident going into the final 15 minutes of the match. With both teams playing on par, the match went down to the wire – giving the spectators edge-of-the-seat action. Though Australia won a penalty stroke in the 55th minute which was converted by Blake Govers, India held their nerves to post a memorable win.
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