The Indian Men’s Hockey Team Captain Harmanpreet Singh (11’, 19’) netted a brace to lead his side to a 2-0 victory over Ireland in their third Pool B match of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which took place at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Tuesday.
India began the match on a strong note, applying a well-structured attack that put immediate pressure on Ireland. They earned their first penalty corner just two minutes in, but Harmanpreet Singh’s drag-flick was thwarted by an Irish defender. Despite this, India maintained possession and executed quick passes to keep the pressure on their opponents.
The aggressive strategy by the Indian team eventually paid off when Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh combined to create a scoring opportunity, leading to a penalty stroke after Mandeep was fouled inside the D. India Captain Harmanpreet Singh stepped up to take apenalty stroke and calmly converted it, giving his side a well-deserved 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
The second quarter mirrored a familiar tale, with India dominating possession and attacking relentlessly. This effort earned them three consecutive penalty corners, and the third time proved to be the charm for India as Harmanpreet scored again with a powerful drag-flick in the 19th minute, extending India’s lead to 2-0.
With the scoreline in their favour, India focused on maintaining possession to control the game, effectively keeping Ireland at bay as they ended the first half with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The second half saw India maintaining possession and making frequent circle entries, which led to another penalty corner opportunity that they couldn’t capitalize on. However, India continued to dominate with their quick passing. In response, Ireland increased their intensity and secured three penalty corners in quick succession, but India’s veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh made a couple of crucial saves to preserve the 2-0 lead.
With less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ireland had a golden chance to score when Benjamin Walker faced only the goalkeeper, but his shot hit the crossbar and went out. Despite this missed opportunity, Ireland kept up the pressure with aggressive attacks and multiple penalty corners. Still, the Indian defense, led by Sreejesh, stood firm to prevent any goals.
With an aim to bounce back in the match, Ireland entered the fourth quarter with all guns blazing and managed to win another penalty corner, however, they again failed to convert it once again. In the meantime, India counterattacked to relieve some pressure and won a penalty corner of their own but couldn’t capitalize on it either. In the final minutes, Ireland launched a ferocious offensive to stage a miraculous comeback, but the Indian defensive line held strong, securing a 2-0 victory and a clean sheet.
