Courtesy: X
On Thursday, August 8, the Indian men’s hockey team defeated Spain 2-1 to win a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. At the Stade Yves-du-Manoir, India were behind a goal in the second quarter, but they made a great comeback to take home their second straight bronze medal at the Olympic Games in men’s hockey.
In the first quarter, India weren’t quite at their best in terms of creating clear-cut chances in front of a resolute Spanish defence. The opposition weren’t direct at the Indian goal either, which led to a stalemate at the end of the first 15 minutes.
The second quarter saw Manpreet Singh tackle Gerard Clapes inside the striking semi-circle, leading to a penalty stroke for Spain. The captain Marc Miralles managed to get the ball past the right hand of PR Sreejesh to put his team in a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute.
After going a goal down, India started to play some free-flowing hockey, to put the Spanish defence under pressure. In the final minute before the half-time hooter sounded, India earned a penalty corner, which their captain Harmanpreet Singh converted, to bring the team on level terms at 1-1.
The beginning of the third quarter was fantastic for India, securing a penalty corner in the 33rd minute through some smart play from Mandeep Singh, followed by a successful referral. It led to Harmanpreet Singh scoring his second goal of the afternoon in Paris, to put India in a 2-1 lead.
In their pursuit to find the equaliser, Spain threw the kitchen sink at the Indian defence in the latter half of the fourth quarter. But they were unable to break down the opposition defence, to miss out on a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.
