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Team India’s joy knew no bounds after they made their way through to the semi-final of men’s hockey in the Paris Olympics 2024. On Sunday (August 4), Harmanpreet Singh’s men beat mighty Great Britain 4-2 in a thrilling penalty shootout to advance to the top four and keep India’s hopes alive of winning medals on the trot in back-to-back Olympic Games.
All the players celebrated whole-heartedly from Abhishek, Harmanpreet, Manpreet, and Sreejesh, showing how much the victory meant to them. They were ecstatic as India are only a win away from securing a medal in hockey in this edition of the quadrennial event.
Watch the video of India’s celebrations in the Paris Olympics here:
PR Sreejesh - India’s hero in the shootout
India made an impressive start to the match after skipper Harmanpreet scored a goal to give his team a crucial 1-0 lead. But India’s joy was short-lived as Lee Morton pulled off the equalizer in the 27th minute. In the 17th minute, India were dealt with a body blow after Amit Rohidas was given a red card.
With their backs to the wall, India somehow held their nerves and took the match into the penalty shootout. With the scoreline reading 2-2 in the shootout, the contest was set for a thrilling finish. India took the upper hand after Williamson Conor missed a goal.
Lalit Upadhyay made it 3-2 by scoring India’s third goal in the shootout. India got closer after Sreejesh saved a shot from Phil Roper. Rajkumar scored the winning goal to start celebrating in joy and delight.
India will next face the winner of the other quarterfinal between Germany and Argentina. If India win their semi-final, they will have a chance to end their 44-year-long wait of winning a gold in hockey at the Olympics.
