Paris Olympics 2024: PR Sreejesh Stands Tall As 10-Man India Beat Great Britain To Enter Men’s Hockey Semifinal

Paris: PR Sreejesh stood tall like a wall as a 10-man India beat Great Britain via penalty shootout to enter the men’s hockey semifinal on Sunday. Despite being down to 10 men after Amit Rohidas was sent off in the second quarter, India took the lead before halftime through Harmanpreet Singh via a penalty corner. Great Britain equalised in the third quarter but the Indians defended like they were playing the final to end the regulation time 1-1.

In the shootout, Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, and Raj Kumar Pal successfully converted their chances for India. For Great Britain, James Albery and Zach Wallace scored, but Conor Williamson’s shot was off target and Philip Roper’s attempt was saved by India’s stalwart goalkeeper Sreejesh to help the eight-time gold medallists a place in the final four with a 4-2 (SO) win. India will either play Germany or Argentina in the semifinals on August 6.

Following the win, Sreejesh said it was a make-or-break moment for him. “I said to myself, it could be my last match or if I save it I can play 2 more matches here. Happy for the win,” said the goalie. Once Rohidas, a key defender and India’s first rusher was given the controversial marching order, Great Britain attacked in numbers, constantly trying to take advantage of the one-man lead.

Veteran custodian PR Sreejesh, playing his last international tournament, stood like a rock in front of the Indian goal, making saves after saves. This is their second consecutive semifinal appearance at the Games. The match began with India taking early initiatives and exerting pressure on their opponents through swift passing. However, Great Britain quickly countered by relentlessly pressing the Indian team, earning consecutive penalty corners in the fifth minute. Despite this, India’s defense stood firm, denying Great Britain the lead.

Great Britain continued to trouble the Indian team with their possession control and lethal attacks. They earned another penalty corner in the 11th minute, but India’s veteran goalkeeper and in-form player, PR Sreejesh, made a crucial goal-line save to keep the scores level. Towards the end of the opening quarter, India intensified their efforts and won three consecutive penalty corners, but they couldn’t capitalize on them. The thrilling first quarter ended 0-0.

Great Britain maintained their aggressive approach and nearly scored early in the second quarter, but Sreejesh once again made a superb save to deny them the lead. However, India faced a setback when Amit Rohidas was shown a red card in the 17th minute for lifting his stick to the face of Will Calnan, forcing India to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Instead of being dejected, India intensified their efforts, launching a series of attacks to put Great Britain on the back foot. This strategy paid off when Harmanpreet displayed his sheer power to convert a penalty corner in the 22nd minute, giving India the lead with his seventh goal of the tournament.

In response, Great Britain focused on controlling possession and making quick passes. Their efforts were rewarded in the 27th minute when Lee Morton scored off a rebound that Sreejesh had initially saved. Both teams entered the half-time break with the score level at 1-1. Returning from the half-time break with the score tied at 1-1, Great Britain exerted early pressure on India in the third quarter and nearly took the lead when Rupert Shipperley’s shot deflected off the post. Despite this, Great Britain continued to test India’s defense, winning consecutive penalty corners, but Sreejesh once again made an outstanding save to keep them at bay.

Great Britain appeared to be in total control of the match, attacking relentlessly while India struggled with being a man down. However, despite their disadvantage, the Indian team managed to restrict their opponents from taking the lead. The penultimate quarter ended goalless, with the score still tied at 1-1.

The fourth and final quarter mirrored the previous one, with Great Britain controlling the majority of possession and making inroads, while the Indian players spent most of their time defending in their own half and attacking only on the counter. In the 51st minute, Shamsher Singh and Abhishek combined to almost penetrate the circle but were stopped due to their numerical disadvantage.

With under five minutes left on the clock, Great Britain increased the frequency of their attacks and found themselves in scoring positions multiple times. However, Sreejesh denied them repeatedly, keeping the score level at 1-1 and forcing the match into a shootout.