Tokyo: India sealed a 5-4 win against Germany in their men’s hockey bronze medal match at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Simranjeet Singh scored two goals for India at the Oi Hockey Stadium, along with Hardik Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh also adding their names on the scoresheet.
The win also helped the Indian men’s hockey team end their 41-year medal wait at the Olympics.
In the 2nd quarter, India saw Simranjeet Singh scoring from a well-executed tomahawk shot, but defensive errors lead to Germany scoring two more goals within two minutes. Just when it looked India might be in trouble, two penalty corners for India yielded results as Hardik Singh scored on the rebound from the first one, while Harmanpreet Singh scored another with a superb dragflick on to the back of the nets.
Rupinder Pal Singh and Simranjeet Singh scored two more goals in third quarter. Lukas Windfeder pulled one back in the final quarter, but it was not enough for Germany to push it to the shootouts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team for the ‘historic’ achievement.
Historic! A day that will be etched in the memory of every Indian. Congratulations to our Menās Hockey Team for bringing home the Bronze. With this feat, they have captured the imagination of the entire nation, especially our youth. India is proud of our Hockey team, Modi tweeted.