NEW DELHI: The Indian men’s hockey team faced a heartbreaking 2-3 defeat against Germany in the semifinals of the Paris Olympicsdashing their hopes of reaching the final for the first time in 44 years.
The Indian hockey team started the semifinal match strongly, dominating the early exchanges before Germany regrouped. Harmanpreet (7th minute) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th minute) scored for India, while Gonzalo Peillat (18th minute), Christopher Ruhr (27th minute), and Marco Miltkau (54th minute) found the net for Germany.
Despite their disappointment, captain Harmanpreet Singh and veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh acknowledged that securing a bronze medal would be a better outcome than returning home empty-handed.
Harmanpreet Singh, the team’s skipper, expressed his disappointment at not achieving their goal of winning the gold medal. However, he maintained a pragmatic perspective, stating that it is preferable to secure a bronze medal than to leave the Olympics without any medal.
This is extremely disappointing as we came here to win a gold medal. But, having said that, it’s better to go home with bronze than nothing. When you lose in the semifinal game, it’s not that easy to take as reaching the final is a dream of any athlete,” Harmanpreet said.
PR Sreejesh, the experienced goalkeeper who is set to retire from international hockey after the Paris Olympics, echoed similar sentiments. “It’s a heartbreaking loss for us. We had the chance to win gold, but now, we have to forget this semifinal and focus on the bronze medal match,” said the goalkeeper.
The Indian hockey team’s coach, Craig Fultonalso expressed his sadness over the defeat. “We’re disappointed we could not get over the line. We played a great match, pushed very hard till the end,” the coach added.
Both Harmanpreet and Sreejesh acknowledged that the team made a few mistakes that proved costly in the end. Harmanpreet pointed out defensive errors and missed opportunities, while Sreejesh highlighted the team’s inability to make an impact in the opponent’s half and the occurrence of silly mistakes during the match.
“We can’t commit such silly mistakes during the match. We could not make an impact in the opponent’s half. I think rather than my situation, the team is more important. Just forget about that and play the next game in a better way, bounce back in the next game,” Sreejesh said.
Harmanpreet and Sreejesh also extended their best wishes to Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogatwho will compete for the gold medal in the 50kg freestyle category on Thursday.
The Indian hockey team started the semifinal match strongly, dominating the early exchanges before Germany regrouped. Harmanpreet (7th minute) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th minute) scored for India, while Gonzalo Peillat (18th minute), Christopher Ruhr (27th minute), and Marco Miltkau (54th minute) found the net for Germany.
Despite their disappointment, captain Harmanpreet Singh and veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh acknowledged that securing a bronze medal would be a better outcome than returning home empty-handed.
Harmanpreet Singh, the team’s skipper, expressed his disappointment at not achieving their goal of winning the gold medal. However, he maintained a pragmatic perspective, stating that it is preferable to secure a bronze medal than to leave the Olympics without any medal.
This is extremely disappointing as we came here to win a gold medal. But, having said that, it’s better to go home with bronze than nothing. When you lose in the semifinal game, it’s not that easy to take as reaching the final is a dream of any athlete,” Harmanpreet said.
PR Sreejesh, the experienced goalkeeper who is set to retire from international hockey after the Paris Olympics, echoed similar sentiments. “It’s a heartbreaking loss for us. We had the chance to win gold, but now, we have to forget this semifinal and focus on the bronze medal match,” said the goalkeeper.
The Indian hockey team’s coach, Craig Fultonalso expressed his sadness over the defeat. “We’re disappointed we could not get over the line. We played a great match, pushed very hard till the end,” the coach added.
Both Harmanpreet and Sreejesh acknowledged that the team made a few mistakes that proved costly in the end. Harmanpreet pointed out defensive errors and missed opportunities, while Sreejesh highlighted the team’s inability to make an impact in the opponent’s half and the occurrence of silly mistakes during the match.
“We can’t commit such silly mistakes during the match. We could not make an impact in the opponent’s half. I think rather than my situation, the team is more important. Just forget about that and play the next game in a better way, bounce back in the next game,” Sreejesh said.
Harmanpreet and Sreejesh also extended their best wishes to Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogatwho will compete for the gold medal in the 50kg freestyle category on Thursday.
