India bid a perfect farewell to PR Sreejesh by defeating Spain 2-1 to secure the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024. This victory marked India’s first back-to-back Olympic medals since 1972. Harmanpreet Singh played a pivotal role, scoring both goals for India after they fell behind early in the match. This win also brought India their record-extending 13th Olympic hockey medal.
Spain took the lead in the 18th minute, but Harmanpreet quickly turned the game around, scoring twice in just three minutes to ensure India’s victory. The Indian defense, led by Sreejesh, was exceptional and played a crucial role in securing the win.
The Hockey match began cautiously, with both teams testing each other. India’s first attempt to penetrate Spain’s defense was unsuccessful. Sukhjeet Singh had a notable chance when Hardik made a strong run and passed to him, but Sukhjeet’s shot missed the target.
India Secures Olympic Bronze Medal in Hockey
After a long wait for an Olympic medal, the Indian Hockey Team has once again made history by securing the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Spain on Thursday.
Spain’s captain, Marc Miralles, scored first, but Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh responded with two goals to lead India to the bronze medal.
With this win, India’s medal count at the Paris Olympics rises to 4, all of which are bronze medals.
India began the Hockey match with aggressive play, pressing high and putting constant pressure on Spain’s defense. Within the first five minutes, India was already in Spain’s territory, with Sukhjeet Singh taking the team’s first shot on goal in the 6th minute of the first quarter.
Despite India’s relentless attacks, Spain held their ground with strong and patient defense, effectively challenging India to give their best effort.
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India and Spain Battle in a High-Stakes Quarter
India’s hockey team began to show improvement midway through the first quarter, increasing their circle penetrations to five. In the 10th minute, Jose Maria Basterra made a brilliant run into India’s defensive area, forcing goalkeeper Sreejesh to make a crucial save. Both teams made some errors in possession, and the quarter ended without either side earning a penalty corner.
Spain took the lead in the 18th minute after a well-executed play resulted in a penalty stroke, which Marc Miralles confidently converted. Spain dominated, utilizing the wings effectively and earning the first penalty corner of the hockey match. Amit Rohidas successfully blocked it, but Spain quickly earned another penalty corner, which was narrowly missed by an Indian defender.
India had a strong opportunity when Lalit’s shot was saved by Spanish goalkeeper Calzado. Spain nearly doubled their lead when a ball into the circle almost scored. Spain continued to pressure India, with Borja Lacalle hitting the post. The ensuing penalty corner led to a counter-attack for India, earning their first penalty corner in the 29th minute.
Amit Rohidas’s attempt was saved, but India managed to equalize just before the end of the quarter when Manpreet’s dangerous pass into the circle allowed Harmanpreet to score.
India Maintains Lead Despite Spanish Pressure
In the third quarter, Spain applied pressure, but India managed to navigate through it effectively. India earned a penalty corner (PC) in the 33rd minute following a smart referral, and Harmanpreet Singh scored his second goal, putting India in the lead in Hockey match. Spain responded quickly with a PC of their own, but India’s defense held strong.
India then secured a second PC of the quarter, which was saved by Spanish goalkeeper Calzado. Abhishek received a green card for excessive enthusiasm during the restart.
In the 37th minute, India broke through the Spanish defense and earned their third PC of the quarter. This attempt was initially stopped by the Spanish defense, but a referral reversed the decision, denying India the PC.
Spain intensified their efforts and won a PC in the 40th minute, which Indian goalkeeper Sreejesh brilliantly saved. Despite Spain’s belief they had scored, a successful referee referral kept India ahead.
Spain sought an equalizer as the third quarter neared its end. India managed to get the ball to the right-hand side, but Gurjant’s shot was saved by the Spanish goalkeeper.
Sreejesh’s Heroics Secure India’s Victory
India had a penalty corner (PC) opportunity, but once again, Harmanpreet was stopped by Calzado. This concluded the third quarter as we entered the final 15 minutes of the game.
Spain increased the pressure early in the last quarter and earned a PC right after the restart. Recasens’ attempt missed the target by a wide margin.
Sukhjeet had a chance to extend India’s lead to 3-1 in the 46th minute, but his shot went wide. Spain kept pressing, and a shot almost sneaked into the goal, but Sreejesh made a crucial save.
With less than 8 minutes left, Sukhjeet received a green card, giving Spain a temporary advantage. Despite the pressure, India’s defense held firm.
Spain earned a penalty corner with just under 90 seconds remaining. They got another chance, but Sreejesh made an outstanding save.
In the final minute, Spain earned another PC. Sreejesh cleared the danger once more, and despite Spain’s efforts, India secured the win, giving Sreejesh a memorable farewell.
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India Secures Olympic Bronze Medal in Hockey FAQs
Q.1. Who scored the goals for India in the bronze medal match in Hockey?
Ans. Harmanpreet Singh scored both goals for India in their 2-1 victory over Spain.
Q.2. How did Spain initially take the lead in the match?
Ans. Spain took the lead in the 18th minute with a penalty stroke converted by Marc Miralles.
Q.3. What role did Sreejesh play in securing India’s victory?
Ans. Sreejesh made several crucial saves, including stopping multiple penalty corners, which helped India secure the win.
Q.4. What significant milestone did India achieve with this victory?
Ans. India’s win marked their first back-to-back Olympic medals since 1972 and their record-extending 13th Olympic hockey medal.
Q.5. How did Spain try to equalize in the final minutes of the match?
Ans. Spain earned multiple penalty corners in the final minute, but Sreejesh made decisive saves to prevent them from scoring.
