INDIA WINS BRONZE, beat Spain by 2-1 in Hockey at Paris Olympics

The Indian men's hockey team, led by Captain Harmanpreet Singh, secured a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Spain at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes on Thursday. The triumph marks a significant achievement for the team and adds another Olympic medal to India's hockey legacy.

Harmanpreet Singh emerged as the hero of the match, scoring both of India's goals and finishing the tournament as the leading goal-scorer for the team with a total of ten goals.

The match began with a physical first quarter, where both teams struggled to make significant inroads into each other’s defense. Spain adopted a defensive approach, while India couldn't capitalize on their circle entries, leaving the score at 0-0 by the end of the first quarter.

Spain took the lead in the second quarter when Marc Miralles successfully converted a penalty stroke, slipping the ball past Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Despite being down, India soon responded, earning a penalty corner. However, Amit Rohidas's drag flick was blocked by the Spanish defense.

Just before the half-time whistle, Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh equalized the score by converting a penalty corner, making it 1-1.

The third quarter saw Spain putting pressure on the Indian defense, but it was Harmanpreet again who turned the tide. He scored his second goal of the match from another penalty corner, giving India a 2-1 lead.

The final quarter was intense, with Spain desperately seeking an equalizer. They earned two penalty corners in the closing moments, but PR Sreejesh, in his final career match, made critical saves to secure India's victory and the bronze medal.