Indian Men’s Hockey Team Qualify for Olympic Semi Final
A determined Indian men’s hockey team advanced to the Olympic semifinals for the first time in 49 years, beating Great Britain 3-1 in the quarterfinals on Sunday, a triumph which leaves the side within touching distance of a medal that has proved elusive for over four decades.
The eight-time former Olympic champions scored three field goals through Dilpreet Singh (7th minute), Gurjant Singh (16th) and Hardik Singh (57th) to seal the win.
Great Britain’s lone goal was scored by Sam Ward from a penalty corner in the 45th minute.
India will take on world champions Belgium in the semifinal on Tuesday.
India’s last of the eight Olympic Gold medals came way back in 1980 Moscow Games but there were no semifinals in that edition as only six teams participated in the event.
For a country that gave the world stalwarts like Major Dhyan Chand and Balbir Singh Senior among others, it has been especially painful to watch the hockey teams’ Olympic debacles before this edition.
The last time India featured in the semifinals of the Olympics was in 1972 Munich Games where they lost 0-2 to arch-rivals Pakistan.
Belgium defeated Spain 3-1 in another quarterfinal to seal their place in the last four round.
The other semifinal of the men’s hockey competition will be played between Australia and Germany.
By virtue of this win, India now have a 5-4 win-loss record over Great Britain in the Olympic Games.
(Source : The Pioneer)
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