Determined India repeat Tokyo feat, give Sreejesh a winning farewell with medal after gutsy 2-1 win against SpainPARIS: It was a roller-coaster last two weeks in Paris, but in the end at Yves du Manoir, everything fell into place. When a shot at gold was lost following a narrow defeat to Germany, things could have fallen apart. But Harmanpreet Singh's boys were not ready to brood. They knew a bronze would mean a lot more than a mere consolation. A hungry Spain was in their way, but India were on a mission.
The bronze victory shows how well India have travelled in the past few years, how good they are. Ten of this bunch were there on the podium in Tokyo. They knew what was needed of them. They knew how to keep emotions in check. They knew how to win it. This team is special.
The Indians celebrated and soon got into a huddle, holding each other tight. Then the victory lap began. They first lifted Sreejesh, playing his farewell match, high in the air. The crowd roared its approval. Sreejesh has been the star performer of this team here, along with skipper Harmanpreet Singh.
When the match began, in the first quarter, Spain made the first attack but were foiled easily. India took time to settle down and were soon running at their rivals. A good chance went abegging in the 6th minute. Mandeep Singh raced into the circle from the left and passed to an unmarked Sukhjeet, who hit it out.
In the ninth minute, skipper Harmanpreet Singh's reverse hit from the left of the Spanish circle hit Gurjant Singh on the head, but thankfully there was no serious injury. India attacked towards the end of the quarter in waves, entered the circle but failed to make it count. Surprisingly, both teams failed to earn a penalty corner.
The second quarter started with a blow for India. In the 18th minute, Spain moved inside India's circle, Manpreet fouled Gerard Clapes and the umpire pointed to the penalty stroke spot. Spain's skipper Marc Miralles slotted it past Sreejesh. Spain earned two back-to-back PCs in the 20th minute but were denied by Indian defenders.
The intensity levels had gone up. Spain got their third PC but were foiled again.
Just when the quarter was in its final seconds, India struck.
India earned their first PC but Amit Rohidas failed to score. In the last minute of the quarter, with just 15 seconds to go, India earned their second PC. Harmanpreet's low, flat scorcher sounded the board. 1-1.
It soon became 2-1 in favour of India when they returned for the third quarter. They earned their third PC in the 33rd minute. Harmanpreet, who has nerves of steel, made it 2-1. Indian fans in the stands were chanting and singing now.
The Indians earned their fifth PC the very next minute but were denied by Spanish defenders. Spain attacked more and came close to scoring in the 44th minute but Indian defenders were up to the task. India got their sixth PC soon after, but the Spanish goalkeeper made a brilliant save.
It was down to the last quarter. Could India defend their lead? Of course, they could. Spain started the quarter by winning a penalty corner but failed to make it count. Then a long hit from their own half found a forward standing unmarked next to the goal. He connected but just missed the goal.
It became frantic after that. Indian midfielder Hardik Singh got injured in the 49th minute and had to be assisted out.
In the dying minutes, Sreejesh made two good saves. Spain kept winning PCs, India kept defending soundly. There was no panic. There was just belief. When Spain muffed up their ninth PC, the clock showed 44 seconds. The hooter soon went off.
As one walked out of the stadium and crossed the Indian dressing room, one could hear loud, happy voices of celebration. But it wasn't just them. Most of the Indian media was not there when these men won the bronze in Tokyo - a hockey medal after 41 years. The world was in the grip of Covid then. Three years on, watching it live here was a goosebumps moment. A hockey med al carries that special sheen. It will stay in the heart forever.
Dutch win gold in shootoutMeanwhile, the Netherlands beat Germany 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation time to win the gold medal in men's hockey, with Duco Telgenkamp firing home the final penalty shot past goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg.
Catch Manika Batra's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 3. Watch Here!