Olympics24 : Ten men India edge out Britain in tie breaker to storm into hockey SF
India reached the Olympic hockey semifinals by defeating Britain in a shootout. The match ended 1-1 in regulation time, leading to a shootout where India won 4-2. India played with ten players for 42 minutes to secure the victory. In the semifinals, India will face the winner of the Germany-Argentina match. A win in Tuesday's match will ensure a silver medal for last time's bronze winners at the Paris Olympics.
Following the advice of video umpire , Indian defender Amit Rohidas was shown a red card in the fourth minute of the second quarter for unintentional stick contact with a British player’s head. Video umpire Goyentzen suggested it was intentional, and South African field umpire Sean Rapaport recommended a red card, resulting in India playing the rest of the match with ten players. This is the first red card issued in this Olympic hockey tournament.
Despite this, India remained undeterred. Coach Craig Fulton adjusted the strategy after going down to ten players. Captain Harmanpreet scored from a penalty corner in the 22nd minute, giving India the lead. India adopted a defensive strategy from the start and became even more defensive after gaining the lead. Britain equalized in the 27th minute through a goal by Morton Lee. British players put immense pressure on India's defense for the remainder of the second quarter, but goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, playing at the end of his career, was outstanding. Despite maintaining aggressive play, Britain couldn't score a second goal. The resilience of Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, and Abhishek stood firm against the German umpire's efforts. India also had a few counter-attacking opportunities but couldn't capitalize.
Playing hockey with one less player is challenging, yet India never lost morale. At the end of the third quarter, another Indian player received a green card, leading to a two-minute play with nine players. Britain couldn't capitalize on this advantage. The 60-minute regulation time ended 1-1, pushing the match into a shootout where Britain fell behind mentally, affecting their performance.
In the shootout, goals for India came from Harmanpreet, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Rajkumar Pal. Britain’s James Albery and Zach Wallace scored, but Conor Williamson and Philip Roper failed, sealing India's victory. Sreejesh saved the last attempt of Britain in the shootout
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