Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian men's hockey team secure a bronze medal with a 2-1 victory over Spain at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes on Thursday (August 8) in 2024 Paris Olympics. It was a memorable farewell for Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in his last international match. After a tough loss to Germany in the semis, the Men in Blue secure back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, having also finished third in Tokyo three years ago.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh, with two goals against Spain, finishes the tournament as India's leading goal-scorer with a total of ten goals.
The first quarter was a physical game with few circle penetrations from either side. Spain played defensively, while India failed to capitalize on their circle entries. The score remained 0-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Spain took a 1-0 lead in the second quarter when Marc Miralles calmly converted a penalty stroke, beating PR Sreejesh. In the same quarter, India earned their first penalty corner, but Amit Rohidas's drag flick was blocked by Spain.
Parity was restored in the dying moments of the second quarter when Indian skipper Harmanpreet converted a penalty corner, leveling the scores at 1-1 by half-time.
The third quarter began with Spain attacking the Indian defense from left to right. In response, a second goal from Harmanpreet, also from a penalty corner, put India ahead 2-1.
The fourth and final quarter was nothing short of a thriller. Spain earned two penalty corners in the dying moments of the match, but PR Sreejesh, playing his final career match, made crucial saves to ensure India secured the victory.
Earlier, India missed out on a final (gold medal) berth after a 2-3 loss to World no. 2 Germany in the semifinal on Tuesday.
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scored for India, but it wasn't enough. With the score tied at 2-2, Germany scored a late tie-breaker to make it 3-2 by the end of regulation time, securing a spot in the gold medal match against Netherlands. India, on the other hand, advanced to the bronze medal match for the second consecutive edition.
Before entering the knockout stage, the Indian men's hockey team finished second in the group stage with a draw and three wins from five matches. In the quarterfinals, India defeated Great Britain in a thrilling match. Despite going down to 10 men in the opening quarter, India managed to win the match via a penalty shootout.
Before today's bronze medal clash, India and Spain had faced each other nine times across various tournaments, with the Indian men's team winning five of those encounters. Of these five wins, two were secured in a shootout.
Spain's journey in the 2024 Paris Olympics saw them suffer a heavy 0-4 loss to two-time gold medallists Netherlands in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, Spain defeated reigning champions Belgium 3-2. They finished fourth in the group stage with two wins from five matches.
Later in the day, the gold medal match for men's hockey at 2024 Paris Olympics will feature Germany and Netherlands.