India’s men’s hockey team will shift its focus to securing a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics after a heart-breaking 2-3 loss to reigning World Champions Germany in a thrilling semifinal. Their opponent in the bronze medal match will be Spain, who suffered a 0-4 defeat to the Netherlands in the semifinal after an impressive quarterfinal victory over Belgium.
Captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed disappointment after the semi-final loss, saying, “We are extremely disappointed that our dream of playing in the Olympic Games Final has not been realized. The team gave their absolute best, and I am proud of how we played. At no point did we give up; we fought valiantly until the last second.” The team’s desire to improve on their bronze medal performance from the Tokyo Olympics was evident in their reaction to the loss. “It won’t be easy to forget this loss. We came really close and it was everyone’s dream to change the colour of the medal this time. But now, we shift our focus to the bronze medal game. We have another chance at creating history by winning back-to-back medals,” added Harmanpreet.
Hardik Singh, discussing Spain, noted their recent success and the familiarity between the two teams. “They are a very good opponent and surely riding on good confidence from their victory against Belgium in the quarterfinal. They are familiar opponents for us and we look forward to returning home with a medal on our neck.”
In their last five encounters, India has emerged victorious four times, with Spain securing one win. The two teams last met at the Tokyo Olympics group stage, where India secured a comfortable 3-0 win.
The bronze medal match between India and Spain will be held on Thursday, August 8th at 5:30 PM IST at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on Sports18 and Sports18 HD, with live streaming available on JioCinema.
This match presents India with a chance to return home with a medal, continuing their legacy of success on the world stage. The team’s resilience and determination will be tested as they strive for a historic back-to-back medal win.
