In a thrilling encounter, the Indian men’s hockey team clinched a 3-2 victory against World No. 4 Australia in their final Pool B match at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday. This marks India’s first Olympic win over Australia since the Munich Games in 1972.
India started strong, establishing a 2-0 lead by the second quarter. Abhishek netted his second goal in as many games in the 12th minute through open play. Just a minute later, captain Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner (PC), doubling the advantage. Despite several attempts by the Australian side, Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh’s exceptional performance kept them at bay.
Australia reduced the deficit to 1-2 at halftime with a goal by Thomas Craig in the 25th minute. However, Harmanpreet Singh struck again in the third quarter, extending India’s lead to 3-1 with a penalty stroke following a successful video referral. The stroke was awarded after Harmanpreet’s drag-flick struck Flynn Ogilvie’s foot on the line, which the referee initially missed.
In the final quarter, Australia intensified their efforts, and Blake Govers scored from a penalty stroke, making it 3-2. Despite the pressure, India maintained their composure and secured the victory, ending the group stage on a high note.
“Every win matters. Sometimes the result is in your favour, sometimes it isn’t,” said Harmanpreet Singh post-match. “What you learn from the failures is what matters. As a team, we showed that if Australia is one of the best teams, we are also working hard to analyse and beat them. If we continue playing like this, we can beat anyone. Beating Australia isn’t the achievement; we’re still competing, and we know that the quarterfinals will be challenging.”
Before this match, the Indian team had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals, with victories against Ireland and New Zealand and a draw against 2016 Olympic champion Argentina. Their only defeat in the tournament came against Belgium, with a 1-2 scoreline.
India finishes the group stage with 10 points from three wins in five matches, moving confidently into the quarterfinals scheduled for August 4.
