Paris Olympics 2024: Indian hockey team loses 2-3 to Germany; to face Spain in bronze medal playoff

Paris Olympics 2024: India's men's hockey team narrowly missed out on a chance to reach the Olympic final for the first time in 44 years, falling to Germany 2-3 in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh opened the scoring in the 7th minute, and Sukhjeet Singh added another in the 36th minute. However, Germany's offensive prowess proved too much, with Gonzalo Peillat (18th minute), Christopher Ruhr (27th minute), and Marco Miltkau (54th minute) netting goals for the German side.

As a result of this defeat, India will now compete against Spain for the bronze medal, while Germany will face the Netherlands in the final.

The Indian squad, which had shown remarkable resilience throughout the tournament, including a dramatic quarter-final performance against Great Britain where they managed to advance despite being reduced to 10 men, fell just short in this pivotal match.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (7th) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th) scored for India, while Gonzalo Peillat (18th), Christopher Ruhr (27th) and Marco Miltkau (54th) were the scorers for Germany.

Germany, ranked fourth in the world, narrowly bested India's fifth-ranked squad 3-2 in a high-stakes semifinal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The German team, who had previously overcome Argentina 3-2 in the quarterfinals, faced off against India—a familiar rival in critical matches. 

One notable encounter between India and Germany had been the bronze medal clash at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, where India secured a dramatic 5-4 victory thanks to a breathtaking last-second save by goalkeeper Sreejesh.

India, historically the most decorated nation in Olympic hockey with 12 medals—including eight golds—has not reached the final since the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The team will now compete for the bronze medal against Spain, while Germany progresses to face the Netherlands in the championship match.

In a remarkable display of athletic prowess on Tuesday, Vinesh Phogat made history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to advance to the Olympic finals of the 50kg wrestling event. 

Meanwhile, Neeraj Chopra secured his spot in the finals of the Men's Javelin Throw, continuing his impressive journey at the Paris 2024 Olympics.