A win on Tuesday will make sure that the workforce will return house with a medal of higher color than the Tokyo bronze.India’s final Olympic gold medal out of their eight victories dates again to the 1980 Moscow Video games. The Paris version presents a big alternative for them to create historical past.
A triumph within the semifinal will assure India a silver medal, which they final achieved within the 1960 Rome version. The Indians exhibited a resolute efficiency towards Britain within the quarterfinal on the famend Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Sunday.
Regardless of enjoying with 10 males for practically 40 minutes after Amit Rohidas acquired a purple card for inadvertently swinging his stick throughout the face of Nice Britain ahead Will Calnan, the workforce, led by Harmanpreet Singh, showcased a powerful defensive show to carry Britain to a 1-1 attract regulation time. They then compelled a shoot-out, the place they emerged victorious with a 4-2 rating.
PR Sreejesh, the veteran goalkeeper taking part in his closing worldwide match, appeared to have reserved his greatest efficiency for the concluding stage of his profession. He made quite a few saves, together with two essential ones within the shoot-out, to safe India’s second straight Olympic semifinal berth.
As they put together for Tuesday’s match, Harmanpreet and his teammates aren’t solely aiming to surpass their Tokyo medal but additionally to offer a becoming sendoff to the enduring goalkeeper Sreejesh, who will retire after the Paris Video games.
Referred to as ‘The Wall’, Sreejesh has been excellent all through the match, standing tall like a sentinel guarding the aim and savoring each second of his closing Olympic look.
Within the match towards Britain, Sreejesh made 10 unimaginable saves from area pictures and efficiently defended 10 penalty corners, showcasing his distinctive abilities and unwavering dedication to his workforce.
“After I stepped on this area as we speak (Sunday), there have been two choices for me. This may be my final match, or I get a possibility for 2 extra matches and I believe I’ve bought two extra matches now,” Sreejesh mentioned later.
“See, whoever comes into the semis, we (will) simply play our recreation. That is it, that is essential, as a result of now it is a totally different recreation, as a result of we’re one man down and we have to concentrate on that now.”
India faces a difficult semifinal match with out the companies of Amit Rohidas, an important defender and first rusher on short-corner defence. Rohidas acquired a controversial purple card within the recreation towards Britain, a call that Hockey India has appealed.
His suspension may have a big impression on India’s penalty nook choices, as Rohidas has been the second-best performer from set items after Harmanpreet. The captain will now shoulder your entire accountability on this facet of the sport.
“Now, these items aren’t in our management. Whereas it’s a setback to not have Amit on the pitch for the semis, we’re targeted on the duty at hand,” mentioned Harmanpreet, who has been India’s main scorer on the Video games with seven objectives.
“On Sunday, what stood out in our efficiency was the workforce’s means to tackle the added accountability of a key place that Amit performed. Each participant stepped up and even till the final minute, we had been preventing again.”
India and Germany, ranked fifth and fourth on this planet respectively, are intently matched by way of their latest head-to-head report and worldwide standing, with their most memorable encounter being the bronze medal match on the Tokyo Olympics, the place India secured an exciting 5-Four victory, because of a surprising last-second save by Sreejesh.
In preparation for the Paris Video games, India and Germany engaged in follow matches, with the Indian workforce rising victorious in 5 out of the six contests.
The latest encounters between the 2 sides passed off through the FIH Professional League’s London leg in June this yr, the place India defeated Germany 3-Zero within the first match earlier than succumbing to a slender 2-Three loss within the return fixture.
Germany, the present world champions and four-time Olympic gold medallists, superior to the semifinals after defeating Argentina 3-2 within the quarterfinal.
“We needed to play Germany within the closing. No less than, that was what we had mentioned amongst ourselves throughout workforce conferences forward of the Olympic Video games,” mentioned Harmanpreet. “They’re difficult opponents and once we play towards them, the match normally goes down until the final second.”
Netherlands, who beat Australia within the quarters, will tackle Spain, who knocked out defending Olympic champions Belgium.
