The Indian men’s hockey team will vie for a bronze medal after losing to world champions Germany in the Paris 2024 semi-finals on Tuesday.
Ranked fifth in the world, India started strong with an early goal by Harmanpreet Singh from a penalty corner in the seventh minute.
Germany, ranked second, responded with goals from Gonzalo Peillat in the 18th minute and Christopher Ruehr in the 27th minute.
India, who won bronze at Tokyo 2020, equalized through Sukhjeet Singh in the 36th minute.
However, Marco Miltkau’s goal six minutes before the final whistle secured Germany’s spot in the final, preventing India from reaching the Olympics men’s hockey final.
India will now face Spain in the bronze medal match. Spain, ranked eighth, were defeated 4-0 by the Netherlands in their semi-final.
At the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Colombes, India began with a positive outlook, earning the first penalty corner within two minutes.
Harmanpreet Singh forced a save from Germany’s goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneebrg, while India’s PR Sreejesh made a crucial save against Marco Miltkau.
India dominated the first quarter, creating strong attacking opportunities. Harmanpreet Singh eventually scored, marking his eighth goal at Paris 2024, leading the scoring charts.
Germany’s comeback began in the second quarter, with Gonzalo Peillat leveling the score from their first penalty corner.
India missed significant opportunities with Abhishek and Lalit Upadhyay failing to convert chances. Germany took the lead with a penalty stroke by Christopher Ruehr three minutes before half-time.
In the second half, Hardik Singh narrowly missed equalizing from a rebound off Harmanpreet’s penalty corner.
India finally tied the game again when Sukhjeet Singh deflected Harmanpreet’s penalty corner into the net.
The third quarter was cautious, with both teams avoiding risks. Early in the final quarter, Sanjay made a crucial goal-line block, but Germany continued to press.
Miltkau’s goal with six minutes left put Germany ahead. Despite subbing off PR Sreejesh for an extra attacker, India couldn’t find an equalizer.
Sukhjeet Singh and Shamsher Singh missed critical chances in the final minute, failing to force a penalty shootout.
India had previously beaten Great Britain in a shootout to reach the semi-finals but missed defender Amit Rohidas, who was suspended for an offense in that match.
India had also defeated Spain 3-0 in the group stage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They will face Spain in the Paris 2024 bronze medal match at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Friday.