Paris Olympics 2024: Indian men's hockey team's projected path to gold medal match

Published at :August 4, 2024 at 12:46 AM

Modified at :September 7, 2024 at 10:37 PM

The Indian men’s hockey team will take on Great Britain in the quarterfinal at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The Indian men’s hockey team qualified for the quarterfinals at the Olympics for the second time in a row. They won a bronze medal at the Tokyo in 2020, ending a medal drought in the sport that had lasted for 41 years. They would now be looking to replicate that performance and have a golden chance to change the color of the medal too.

India didn’t start on the right note. A goal in the last minutes, through a penalty stroke converted by Harmanpreet Singh, led them to a narrow 3-2 victory against lower-ranked New Zealand. The skipper again saved the day, as a last-minute goal through a penalty corner helped India secure a 1-1 draw against Argentina.

The third match saw India start in an emphatic fashion against Ireland, scoring two goals in the first two quarters. However, the next two quarters were very disappointing. While India didn’t concede a goal, they ended up conceding 10 penalty corners.

The consensus was that the dip in tempo during the third quarter as well as the lack of field goals (which resulted in the team being overdependent on Harmanpreet’s set-piece goals) could hurt them against top teams.

Also Read: Hockey at Paris Olympics 2024: Updated schedule, fixtures, results, live streaming details

However, India performed brilliantly against Belgium. They took an early lead, with Abhishek getting onto the scoresheet. However, Belgium applied relentless pressure and scored twice in the third quarter. India fought very hard and came close to scoring, but in the end, the defending champions didn’t allow them to come back. Coach Craig Fulton, too, suggested that India deserved a draw.

The next match, though, turned out to be a historic one for India. Against a team that has given India many scars, India set the tempo early, leading 2-0 in the first quarter. While Australia did score in the second quarter, India managed to restore the two-goal lead. Australia reduced the lead in the fourth quarter, setting the game up for a blockbuster finish.

Waves of attacks followed, but the defense kept strong. Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh stood tall, as he had been during the entirety of the tournament. India managed to close out the game, sealing their first victory against the Kookaburras at the Olympics, after a wait of 52 years.

With the victory against Australia, India finished second in pool B. This has ensured that India will not face teams like Belgium (World Number #1), Netherlands (World Number #3) and Australia (World Number #4) until the final.

In pursuit of their twelfth Olympic medal, the most successful hockey team at the Olympics has arguably a dream path lying in front of them, en route to the gold medal match. Without further ado, let’s have a look at their projected path to the final.

India’s projected path to gold medal match

Quarterfinal: Great Britain

India will be taking on World Number #2 Great Britain in the quarterfinals, the same opponent whom they defeated at the same stage in Tokyo 2020. However, Great Britain are a much-improved team. They narrowly lost to Germany in the quarterfinals of the World Cup last year. In the FIH Pro League this season, they finished third among nine teams.

However, they have been a bit iffy in Paris. They escaped against South Africa with a 2-2 draw after an equalizer in the dying moments, before a late winner gave them a narrow 2-1 victory over France.

They then lost 1-2 against Germany in a crucial match, finishing third in the group. With the form of the Brits having fluctuated so much, India would be positive about their chances.

Semifinal: Germany

World Number #5 Germany will be up against World Number #6 Argentina in the last of the quarterfinals. While neither team has much to separate from the other in terms of quality, Germany’s form gives them a slight edge.

If India and Germany meet in the semifinal, it will be a repeat of the bronze medal clash in Tokyo, where Germany suffered heartbreak, losing 4-5. The reigning World Champions would be seething for revenge.

Also Read: Hockey: India vs Germany head-to-head record

Germany has been in stellar form, finishing at the top of Pool A, defeating top teams like the Netherlands (1-0) and Great Britain (2-1). They, however, suffered a shock 0-2 defeat to Spain. A matchup between India and Germany will be a battle of equals, with both having defeated each other once, recently in the Pro League.

Final: Belgium/Australia/Netherlands

Belgium will play against Spain in one of the quarters, while Australia will face the Netherlands in another. Belgium are firm favorites to win their quarters, while Australia vs. the Netherlands is more difficult to call.

Belgium will eventually be favourites to qualify for the final, as they have been in sensational form, topping Pool B without losing a match. They started slow, winning only by a margin of 1 goal against New Zealand and Ireland. However, they came blazing back to form, defeating Australia 6-2. They then defeated India 2-1.

Australia have struggled for form, with losses against Belgium and India hurting them. The silver medallists from Tokyo would be looking to up the ante, going into the knockouts.

Netherlands, on the other hand, have conceded too many goals, which includes three each against South Africa and Spain (it is worth mentioning though that they scored five times in each of the games). Their inability to defeat Great Britain (2-2) and Germany (0-1) ensured that they couldn’t top the group.

If the Indian team reaches its first final in 44 years, they will have to contend with a massive challenge to win their ninth gold medal. India has negative head-to-head statistics against all three teams and would need to fight mental obstacles too, to gain victory.

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