Sreejesh stands like a wall, takes India to hockey semi-finals in Paris Olympics

PR Sreejesh, the ageless wonder, did the star turn again as India pipped Great Britain 4-2 in the penalty shootout after being level 1-1 in regulation time to enter the men's hockey semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

- S KANNAN

After beating Australia earlier, India were under pressure as Amit Rohidas was sent off with a red card violation.

Playing with 10 men on the field was hard. As Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey said later: "The quality of umpiring in the Olympics is not good enough."

For all those who have seen poor judging in boxing and now hockey, this win is for the ages.

Having won a bronze medal at the last Olympics in Tokyo, India have been hyped. To enter the arena high on hope and deliver was defining.

For India, skipper Harmanpreet Singh (22nd minute) netted a goal but Britain's Lee Morton (27th minute) restored parity. In the shootout, India converted all their chances for an entry into the last four stages. Captain Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, and Rajkumar Pal each found the back of the net during the shootout.