Paris Olympics: India End 52-Year Wait, Beat Australia 3-2 in Men’s Hockey

Paris: In a thrilling encounter that will go down in Indian hockey history, the Indian men’s team stunned Olympic powerhouse Australia 3-2 to secure a place in the quarterfinals. This momentous victory also marked the end of a 52-year wait for a win over Australia at the Olympics.

Harmanpreet Singh’s clinical finishing and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s exceptional performance were instrumental in India’s triumph.

India started strong, with Abhishek scoring the opening goal in the 12th minute. His shot, a sharp turn that left Australian goalkeeper Andrew Charter no chance, was quickly followed by a penalty corner goal from captain Harmanpreet Singh, who sent Charter the wrong way.

PR Sreejesh, India’s goalkeeper, played a crucial role throughout the match, making several key saves to keep Australia at bay.

In the third quarter, Harmanpreet extended India’s lead with another goal early on. Despite a comeback effort from Australia, including a goal from Blake Govers, India maintained their advantage. The final moments of the match were intense, with Australia pressing hard and even deploying a flying goalkeeper. However, despite Govers’ late penalty corner goal, India managed to hold on for the win.