In a thrilling encounter, India's men's hockey team secured a landmark victory over Australia in their final group stage match at the Paris Olympics on Friday. This 3-2 triumph marks India's first win against Australia at the Olympics in 52 years.
The match, held at Yves-du-Manoir Stadium, saw the Harmanpreet Singh-led side showcase a blend of attacking flair and solid defense. The Indian team took an early lead with a dynamic first quarter performance. Forward Abhishek opened the scoring in the 12th minute, followed by Harmanpreet Singh, who converted a penalty corner just a minute later to give India a 2-0 advantage.
The second quarter saw intense back-and-forth play, with Australia managing to reduce the deficit to 2-1 in the 25th minute, courtesy of a penalty corner conversion by Craig Thomas. However, India responded strongly in the second half, with Harmanpreet Singh scoring another penalty corner in the 32nd minute, pushing India’s lead to 3-1.
Australia fought back in the fourth quarter, with Blake Grover scoring from a penalty stroke in the 55th minute. Despite their efforts to equalize in the final moments, the Kookaburras fell short, and India held on to secure the win.
With this victory, India concluded the group stage with four points, finishing second in Pool B behind Belgium. Their campaign included a narrow 2-1 loss to the Olympic champions Belgium, a 3-2 win over New Zealand, a 1-1 draw against Argentina, and a 2-0 win against Ireland.
India's qualification for the quarterfinals sets up an exciting knockout stage. They will now await the outcome of the match between Great Britain and Spain to determine their next opponent.
This historic win underscores the remarkable progress of Indian hockey on the global stage, as the team advances with renewed confidence and momentum into the knockout rounds.
