Mandeep Singh , Abhishek Abhishek and Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran celebrate with teammates winning the match.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Paris: The Indian men’s hockey produced a performance for the ages in defeating Great Britain in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics and their coach Craig Fulton hailed it as ‘real statement’ before picking out goalkeeper P R Sreejesh for special praise.
India had their backs to the wall after they were reduced to 10 men early in the second quarter after Amit Rohidas was handed a straight red card for a reckless raised-stick challenge on William Calnan. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Indian defence stood tall, thwarting several of Britain’s advances before securing a 4-2 shootout win after the game ended 1-1 at full-time at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.
“It wasn't just a win, it was a statement. It was a real statement,” gushed an ecstatic Fulton. “It wasn't pretty. It's never going to be pretty. Ten men in a quarterfinal. I don't know how many chances they had. But today was our day. Everyone gathered around and worked the tactics. It was a full, full staff. Everyone was hands-on and it was a fantastic day.
The South African, who took charge last year from Graham Reid after the team fumbled badly in the World Cup in Bhubaneswar but resurrected the fortunes with a gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, said his focus on defence has borne fruit.
“We've been talking about defence for 14 months and we dug deep and Sri (Sreejesh) was immense. When you talk about defence, it's also about showing your love for your team-mate by covering him and helping him. And Sreejesh did that for us and we did that for him.”
Sreejesh, who produced a string of spectacular saves to emerge as one of the top trends on social media in the country, said he was just doing his job. “(It is a) daily job of a goalie. Some days it's a different effort (but) today is our day. Even in the shootout, the guys who took shots didn't disappoint. When I stepped on this field today, there was two options for me. This can be my last match, or I got an opportunity for two more matches and I think, yeah, I got two more matches now.”
Hockey India complaint
Meanwhile, a livid Hockey India said they’ve officially raised concerns with International Hockey Federation (FIH) over the quality of umpiring. Apart from the Rohidas red card which the national body felt was too harsh, they also expressed unhappiness over use of a video tablet by a Britain goalkeeper Ollie Payne during the shoot-out. Although the tablet was removed by on-field officials, HI weren’t too happy.
“Hockey India has officially raised concerns about the quality of umpiring and decision-making in the ongoing Paris Olympic Games 2024 (men’s tournament). The complaint focuses on a critical match between India and Great Britain, where several inconsistencies in officiating potentially influenced the game's outcome,” said a HI statement.
“These incidents have undermined confidence in the officiating process among players, coaches and fans. Hockey India calls for a thorough review of these matters to uphold the integrity of the sport and ensure fair play in future matches.”
Rohidas uncertainty
HI is hopeful Rohidas will be available for the semifinal clash which is dependent heavily on the umpires' report to the technical delegate. Unlike football where a red card means automatic suspension for the next game, hockey depends on the technical delegate’s decision if the foul was intentional or not. If adjudged intentional, Rohidas will have to sit out of the semis that could be a body blow for India as apart from being the main defender, he’s also the first rusher during penalty corners.