At the Tokyo Olympics, India’s 41-year quest for a hockey medal came to an end. Indian Men’s Hockey Team won their first Games medal since the 1980 Moscow Olympics. India defeated four-time winners Germany 5-4 in a nail-biter of a bronze medal match on Thursday. Simranjeet Singh scored two goals, while Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, and Rupinder Pal Singh also contributed.
In the second quarter, India fell behind 3-1 before rallying to a 3-3 tie. Simranjeet scored India’s fifth goal after Rupinder Pal Singh converted a penalty shot to give India the lead and complete their comeback. India has now won three bronze medals at the Olympics. They last won the last bronze medal at the Munich Olympics in 1972. India has won 8 gold medals in men’s hockey at the Olympics.
When India fell behind 3-1 in the 24th minute against a relentless Germany, the eight-time winners were on the verge of collapse. India kept an eye out for counter-attacking opportunities. Harmanpreet failed to convert a PC that India received two minutes after falling behind 3-1. They were given another two minutes later, and Hardik Singh converted to cut Germany’s lead in half. Harmanpreet then converted a penalty kick in the 29th minute, bringing India level just four minutes after falling behind 3-1. Surprisingly, the score at halftime was 3-3.
India appeared to pick up just where they left off in the third quarter, forcing a penalty shot. With his strike, Rupinder made no errors, and India took the lead. Simranjeet scored his second goal of the game three minutes later to bring the score 5-3 in India’s favor. It remained the score at the end of the third quarter.
German struggle
Germany, on the other hand, was not about to give up without a struggle. In the 45th minute, Lukas Windfeder scored from a penalty corner to bring the four-time champions back into the game, setting up a frantic conclusion. Then in the 51st minute, Mandeep had a one-on-one with the German goalie. But he took the ball too far to the left. In the end, he had to take the shot from an acute angle that the keeper saved.
With three minutes left on the clock, Germany withdrew their goalkeeper. In this period, India saved a penalty corner. Then another in the last seconds of the game to seal the historic victory.
India bounced back from a 1-7 loss to Australia to win four of their five group games and finish second in Pool A. India demonstrated their class in the quarter-final against Great Britain. They won 3-1 to end their 49-year wait for a semi-final position. Belgium, on the other hand, proved too strong for the men’s team in the semi-final on Tuesday, August 3.
Indian Men’s Hockey Team brings home bronze after 41 years
In February of this year, the Indian team played Germany in two back-to-back matches, putting all of their hard work from the National Camps in SAI, Bengaluru to the test. This was India’s first tour since the pandemic prohibited their travel in 2020. They won 6-1 in the first match and tied 1-1 in the second.
From 1928 until 1956, Indian men dominated the Olympic hockey event, capturing six gold medals in a row. No one could have predicted that they would be abandoned in the Olympic desert for the next four decades when they won the gold medal for the ninth time at the 1980 Moscow Games.
However, over the last four years, the Indian team has accomplished significant achievements. This includes winning the Asia Cup in 2017, the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018, and the FIH Series Final in 2019.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the schedule, India also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar. They excelled in the FIH Hockey Pro League under Manpreet.