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Olympics: Hockey captain helps India snatch a point against Argentina
A series of penalty corners in the 59th minute saw Harmanpreet succeed in breaking open the Argentine deep defence with a neat flick that got deflected into the net resulting in a tie.
Indian Captain Harmanpreet Singh scores in final minutes of the match against Argentina on July 29 to draw the game. / X/@TheHockeyIndia
In a game of tantalizing turns between two former Olympic champion teams—India and Argentina—skipper Harmanpreet Singh pelted in a penalty corner goal in the 59th minute to help his team salvage a precious point in a pool B game on July 29.
India had beaten New Zealand 3-2 in the opener while for Argentina had lost its opener to Australia by a solitary goal. A significant portion of the Indian Diaspora in and around Paris had been drawn to the India-Argentina game. In addition to the immigrants from the sub-continent, Rahul Dravid, the former Chief Coach of the Indian cricket team and Olympian PT Usha, the chief of the Indian Olympic Association, were also in attendance.
The pulsating game was also observed by the International Hockey Federation chief, Tayyab Ikram, who witnessed the Indian team's supporters release a collective sigh of relief when Harmanpreet scored the match equalizer with just over a minute remaining until the conclusion of the game. Tayyab Ikram was joined by his former colleagues, Leandro Negre, and Saif Ahmed of Egypt.
India came prepared for a win as it would have smoothened its passage to the knockout round. The South Americans, however, had different game plans. Their strategy was to earn as many penalty corners as possible without conceding many to their opponents. Though the Argentines, winners of the 2016 Olympic games, had taken the lead in the 22nd minute through Lucas Martinez, it could not consolidate even after it earned a stroke in the 37th minute following a piercing flick taken by Maico Casella Schuth that caught Jarmanpreet Singh on the goal line on his body. The resultant flick taken by Maico himself was wide off the target to the great relief of experienced Indian custodian PR Sreejesh.
Desperate to get an equaliser, India did work out some good moves that were frustrated by the alert Argentine defence. At one stage, it looked like Argentina would hold to his first-half goal lead for its first win of the tournament. It was in the closing stages of the game, like the game against New Zealand on the other hand, that India built pressure.
A series of penalty corners in the 59th minute saw Harmanpreet succeed in breaking open the Argentine deep defence with a neat flick that got deflected into the net. The South Americans wanted a review of the decision. It, however, ended in disappointment for them as the third umpire also upheld the ground umpire’s judgment.
India will play Ireland in its third game tomorrow. A win would guarantee India a place in the next knockout round.
A quick look at the Points table in Pool B after the India vs Argentina game.
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 29, 2024
India currently in 3rd position. Looking strong.
A positive Goal difference might matter later in the tournament.
more important group stage games to go!
Cheer for Team India.… pic.twitter.com/xhh2eGjgzf
India at day 3
Newly crowned bronze medallist Manu Bhaker and her colleague Sarabjot Singh gave a cheerful start to the day three proceedings by qualifying for the bronze medal in the 10 m Air Pistol (Mixed Team) event. The Indian team had finished behind Turkey and Serbia. While Indian shooters aggregated 580, Turkey topped the qualifying round with 582 followed by Serbia with 581. Indian team aggregated 580 and will take on Korea(579) in the bronze medal playoff.
If Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot manage to get better off the Korean team, it would be the second medal for Manu Bhaker, making her the first Indian to win two medals in the same Olympic games.
In badminton, Lakshya Sen claimed his second win by defeating Julien Carraggi in straight games. Ashwini-Tanisha, on the other hand, suffered their second consecutive loss against a pair that was much higher ranked, effectively eliminating them from the quarterfinals. On July 29, Satwik and Chirag were unable to compete in the tournament due to an injury sustained by their German opponents.
Manika Batra advanced to the round of 16 in the table tennis women’s singles by defeating local opponent in staright sets later during the day.
In shooting and archery, the Indians failed to make the medalled matches.
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