Harmanpreet, Sreejesh fight back tears; India left crestfallen after SF loss

Captain Harmanpreet Singh and veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh were an emotional wreck and fought hard to hold back tears after India lost the Paris Olympics 2024 men’s hockey semifinal 2-3 to Germany late night on Tuesday.
India may not have been the outright favourites heading into the match against world champions Germany, but they surely had the momentum. Not only did they overcome the mighty Australians in the group stage, they took down Great Britain in the quarterfinals after being reduced to a 10-man side. On Tuesday, India did take the early lead against Germany in the Paris Olympics semifinal, before the opponents regrouped themselves and got their noses in front twice in the match. India eventually set themselves up for a dramatic final second equaliser, but fell agonisingly short of making the final for the first time in 44 years, going down 2-3 in the match.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian side went all guns blazing in the opening quarter as they pressed the German defence hard and, in the process, scored the first goal of the match through the skipper himself. But the three-time Olympic champions, known for their steely resolve, roared back strongly in the second quarter. Gonzalo Peillat pulled off the equaliser from a penalty corner, before Christopher Ruhr helped them take the lead lead through a penalty stroke conversion. Six minutes into the second half, India levelled the score after Sukhjeet Singh nicely deflected in a variation from Harmanpreet’s flick.
The Germans attacked with intensity in the fourth and final quarter, and with just six minutes from the final hooter, they scored the winner when Marco Miltkau deflected in a cross to shatter Indian hearts. India eventually set themselves up for one final chance when Harmanpreet picked out an unmarked Shamsher, but the shot was sent wide of the mark by just millimeters.
The Indians had their chances in the match. They earned as many as 11 penalty corners but converted just one. Germany, on the other hand, secured only four penalty corners and converted two of them.
Following the loss, coach Craig Fulton was left distraught at the missed opportunity from Shamsher, while the players were left crestfallen with captain Harmanpreet and the veteran Sreejesh fighting back tears.
It was a great opportunity for India to enter the final Olympics for the first time since the 1980 Games, but Germany dashed their hopes. India will now take on Spain in the bronze medal match, while Germany will face Netherlands in the final.
“This is extremely disappointing as we came here to win a gold medal. But, having said that, it’s better to go home with bronze than nothing,” Harmanpreet told Jio Cinema after the match. “When you lose in the semifinal game, it’s not that easy to take as reaching the final is a dream of any athlete,” the captain added.
The captain and Sreejesh, however, agreed that the side did commit a few mistakes that cost them in the semifinal match.
“We made a few errors in defence and we missed a few chances,” Harmanpreet, who put India ahead with his seventh minute strike, said.
Sreejesh added, “We can’t commit such silly mistakes during the match. We could not make an impact in the opponent’s half.”