Indian hockey team bag bronze, ending 41-year Olympic medal drought


FE Team | Published: August 05, 2021 10:46:08 | Updated: August 06, 2021 15:28:33


Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Hockey - Men - Bronze medal match - Germany v India - Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - August 5, 2021. Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran of India poses for pictures as he celebrates winning the match for bronze. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

India won the bronze medal after a thrilling 5-4 victory over Germany at the Tokyo Games on Thursday, giving the country its first Olympic hockey medal in more than forty years.

Germany took an early lead in the goal-rich match through a second-minute goal by Timur Oruz, and posed a threat to eight-time Olympic hockey champions India in the first quarter.

After Simranjeet Singh equalised with a backhand shot for India, Germany kept their cool, scoring two goals to take a 3-1 lead in the second quarter, reports Reuters.

But India pulled level late in that quarter thanks to goals by Hardik Singh and Harmanpreet Singh, making it 3-3 at the halftime break.

India then took a 5-3 lead after Rupinder Pal Singh notched in a penalty stroke and Simranjeet Singh scored his second of the match not long into the second half.

Germany came back a goal but was unable to force the equaliser, even after taking out its goalie to bring in an extra field player late in the game.

India's bronze was its first Olympic hockey medal since winning gold at the 1980 Moscow Games.

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