Hockey: India beat Great Britain 3-1, advance to semi-finals
The Indian men's hockey team claimed a comprehensive victory over Great Britain in the quarter-finals of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. India booked a place in the knock-outs after finishing at the second spot in Pool A. The Indian hockey team last won a medal at Olympics in 1980. Germany, Belgium, Australia, and India are the four semi-finalists. Here are further details.
India gained an early lead in the match, with Dilpreet Singh striking in the first quarter. The Indians doubled their lead in the next quarter as Gurjant Singh made the most of the long pass. Great Britain pulled one back in the final few seconds of the third quarter. However, Hardik Singh's brilliant goal in the final quarter denied Britain any further comeback.
India have put up their best show in hockey at an Olympics since the 1980 edition. They won four of their five league encounters, having lost only to Australia (1-7). India finished second in the group stage with 12 points (won 4 and lost 1). They had stormed into the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over defending champions Argentina.
Great Britain had booked their last-eight berth with a 2-2 draw against Belgium in their last Pool B match. They had finished at number three with eight points, behind Belgium (13) and Germany (9). Earlier in the day, Germany, Australia, and Belgium advanced to the semi-finals after beating Argentina, Netherlands, and Spain respectively. The two semi-finals will be played on August 3.
India now have a terrific opportunity to win an Olympic medal in hockey this time. They own as many as 11 medals in the sport at Olympics, a tally that includes eight gold medals. India last won an Olympic medal in hockey in 1980 (Moscow).
This will be India's first appearance in the semi-finals of Olympic Games in 49 years. Although India had won gold in the Moscow 1980 Olympics, no semi-finals were conducted in that edition due to absence of several teams who had boycotted the Games. The top-two teams from the round-robin stage had competed in the final (India vs Spain).
