Paris: PR Sreejesh stood firm as India beat Great Britain via penalty shootout on Sunday to enter the men's hockey semifinal.
India took the lead before halftime through Harmanpreet Singh via a penalty corner despite being down to 10 men after Amit Rohidas was sent off in the second quarter। In the third quarter, Great Britain equalised, but India defended like they were playing the final, ending the regulation time 1-1.
Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Raj Kumar Pal successfully converted their chances for India during the shootout.
James Albery and Zach Wallace scored for Great Britain, but Conor Williamson's shot was off target and Philip Roper's attempt was saved by India's stalwart goalkeeper Sreejesh, helping the eight-time gold medallists get into the final four with a 4-2 (SO) win। On August 6, India will play Germany or Argentina in the semifinals.
Sreejesh said the win was a make-or-break moment for him। I thought it might be my last game, but if I save it, I can play two more games here। The goalie said "Happy for the win।" When Rohidas, a critical defender and India's first rusher, was given the controversial marching order, Great Britain was attacked in numbers, constantly trying to take advantage of the one-man lead.
While playing his final international tournament, veteran custodian PR Sreejesh stood in front of the Indian goal, making saves after saves। This marks their second consecutive appearance in the Games' semifinals। India started the game by taking the lead and pressurizing their opponents with quick passing। Nevertheless, Great Britain responded quickly by incessantly pressuring the Indian team, earning consecutive penalty corners in the fifth minute। India's defense stood firm, preventing Great Britain from leading.
Britons kept the Indian team upset with their possession control and deadly attacks.
Britons kept the Indian team upset with their possession control and deadly attacks.
England continued to play aggressively and nearly scored early in the second quarter, but Sreejesh made a great save once again to deny them the lead। But in the 17th minute, Amit Rohidas got a red card for lifting his stick to the face of Will Calnan, which forced India to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game.
