Paris: The Indian men’s hockey team began their Paris Olympics 2024 campaign with an exhilarating 3-2 victory over New Zealand on Saturday. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh delivered a dramatic finish, scoring the decisive goal from a penalty stroke just a minute before the end of the match.
New Zealand initially took the lead in the 8th minute when Sam Lane scored from their first penalty corner, catching India off guard. Despite the early setback, India’s offensive pressure, led by Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek, soon put them back in control. India equalized in the 24th minute through a penalty corner, with Mandeep Singh scoring from a rebound after Harmanpreet’s initial flick was saved by New Zealand goalkeeper Dominic Dixon.
India maintained their momentum and took the lead in the 34th minute when Vivek Sagar Prasad scored from a goalmouth scramble. New Zealand fought back, and in the 53rd minute, Simon Child converted a rebound from another penalty corner to level the scores.
The final minutes were tense, with both teams creating opportunities. New Zealand’s aggressive play earned them several penalty corners, but they were unable to capitalize. In a dramatic climax, Sukhjeet Singh earned a penalty corner for India, which resulted in a penalty stroke after Harmanpreet’s drag-flick hit Child on the body. Harmanpreet made no mistake with the stroke, securing the win for India.
Despite the victory, India’s chief coach Craig Fulton may be concerned about the team’s penalty corner conversion rate, as they only managed to convert one of their five penalty corners, while New Zealand converted two of their nine.
India’s next challenge will be against Argentina in their Pool B match on Monday. The win over New Zealand sets a strong tone for India’s campaign and showcases their resilience and determination in the Olympic arena.
