India vs Spain highlights, hockey medal match at Olympics: Harmanpreet's brace seals historic bronze; Sreejesh signs off
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Thank you for reading this article live blog of the hockey bronze-medal match between India and Spain at the Paris Olympics 2024. Harmanpreet Singh, aka Captain Fantastic, gifted PR Sreejesh a perfect farewell as India defeated Spain 2-1 in the bronze-medal playoff match at the Paris Olympics on Thursday. Skipper Harmanpreet scored a sensational brace, and goalkeeper Sreejesh made a series of spectacular saves in his final appearance for India. With the 2-1 win over La Roja, Team India has claimed a second successive Olympic bronze medal in 52 years.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: With PR Sreejesh on goal, India have won two Olympic medals. Team India sealed three Asian Games and two Commonwealth Games medals. Sreejesh-starrer India won Asia Cup and Champions Trophy twice. Sreejesh has bowed out of international arena after 336 matches for India. “I think this is a better way to finish among all Olympic Games. Thanks to my team, hockey staff and IOA, to make this tournament so beautiful. After this game, people may ask me that this will be my last game and I decided to play like it was. Tokyo Games has a different space in my heart because that gave us the confidence that we could actually win a medal at the Olympic Games,” Sreejesh signed off from Paris.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh admitted that his side was a strong contender for gold. India lost a thriller to Germany in the semi-finals at the Paris Games. The Men In Blue then outclassed Spain to seal a historic bronze for India in Paris. “Bronze medal match was important for the team. It takes a lot of phases to feature at the Olympics. There are times when the result is not in your favour. It’s big thing for India to win back-to-back medals. Difficult to defend, unfortunately we gave them so many chances. Our PC defence is among one of the best. We also dedicate this tournament to Sreejesh, who is bidding farewell. Hope you guys continue to support us and hockey,” India skipper Harmanpreet said.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: India's Manpreet Singh has dedicated the bronze-medal win of the Men In Blue to veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. The 2024 Olympics was Sreejesh's swansong tournament for India in the international arena. "We want to dedicate this medal to Sreejesh because this was his last match. This is a great feeling because we have won consecutive medals. We wanted to win the gold medal but that could not happen unfortunately but relieved that we are not going home empty-handed," Manpreet said after the match.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: PR Sreejesh's international career is nothing short of extraordinary. He expressed his gratitude to the countrymen for believing in him before India locked horns with Spain. The 36-year-old produced stunning saves in the final quarter to help India beat Spain 2-1 in the bronze-medal thriller. Sreejesh had announced his retirement plans ahead of his fourth appearance at the Olympics. The super-stopper was also pivotal in India's bronze-medal-winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: India claimed its second successive bronze medal at the Olympic Games! Under the leadership of Harmanpreet Singh, India defeated Spain 2-1 to finish third in the bronze-medal playoff match at the Paris Olympics. Skipper Harmanpreet fired the match-winning goal in the 33rd minute after netting the equaliser for India in the 30th minute. Spain captain Marc Miralles opened the scoring in the match with an 18th-minute penalty stroke. PR Sreejesh, nicknamed ' The Great Indian Wall of Indian hockey', had a fitting farewell in Paris.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: PR Sreejesh had announced his retirement plans ahead of his fourth appearance at the Olympics. The veteran super-stopper made a sensational save in the final seconds of the bronze medal match. After India's 2-1 win over Spain, captain Harmanpreet lifted Sreejesh on his shoulders.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: The veteran keeper comes flying in for India - his Superman save forces Spain to settle for another penalty corner. India back on possession and hooter goes off for the final time - Team India seals a historic bronze!
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: What just happened? A referral from the umpire as the Spanish player is brought down in the final 60 seconds of the game. A harsh tackle by Harmanpreet and the Indian captain gives away a penalty corner.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: PR Sreejesh with the save! The ball is dangerous? Sreejesh makes a spectacular save in the closing minutes of the game and we are going upstairs! No reason to change the decision - Spain settled with the long corner.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Spain making a final change in the dying minutes of the high-voltage clash. Hardik standing over the ball. He helps India maintain possession. Clumsy? India losing the ball in the blink of an eye and Spain are on the counter. Penalty corner for Spain in the final 2 minutes.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Abhishek is vigilant enough! He gets a ball and forces the Spanish player to come up with a foul. Feisty! How many sticks are involved? India and Spain are fighting for possession in the final quarter. Long pass from Spain is cleared! India back on ball - a dangerous ball and free hit is quickly taken. La Roja desperate for the equaliser. Only 3 minutes left!
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Amit has been fouled - India wasting no time in launching an attack on Spain. Vivek on the ball, he is looking for Sukhjeet Singh. Spanish player goes down - we are going upstairs for the verdict. Nothing wrong! Another coming together of players. India on the ball and also on the attack. India 2-1 Spain in 4th quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Superb defending by Sumit as defence is turned into attack in no time! A nasty collision between India and Spanish players - both players were knocked out, momentarily. “Just a collision,” the official tells players. Change for India after the unpleasant incident; Manpreet has entered the match. India 2-1 Spain in 4th quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Team India is 15 minutes away from a historic medal. The final quarter gets underway as Harmanpreet’s men aim to extend their one-goal lead. Spain win early possession back from Indian players. Early ball in and Jarmanpreet shepherd it clear. India 2-1 Spain in 4th quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Rodriguez with the save! Into the final minute of the game- India with a penalty corner. Here comes Harmanpreet Singh and a stunning save follows! India back on ball - a searching ball in and it takes a deflection. “You were pushing too,” the official tells Amit after the whistle. Harmanpreet on the ball - only seconds to go as the Indian takes his sweet time. Indian player loses ball and Spain are back on the counter. The hooter goes off! India almost coined its third if it wasn't for the Spanish goalkeeper. India 2-1 Spain after 3rd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Jarmanpreet’s foot touched the ball but the rebound hit the body of Marc Recasens. Goal or no goal? It’s not a goal as Recasens gets his hand on ball. India and Spain fighting for possession in the remaining three minutes of the quarter. India 2-1 Spain in 3rd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Umpires are taking a look at India’s penalty corner. Bonastre was just inside - the Spanish player took a nasty blow. He goes off. Painful blow on the meniscus. India back on ball and back on the attack. ‘Calm down? You calm down’ - Spanish players argued with the official after the initial whistle.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Another penalty corner for India - The Men In Blue have dominated possession and the Harmanpreet-led side is busy upping the ante after taking the lead over Spain. Can Harmanpreet get his hat-trick? No is the answer as Spain get back to business after saving the penalty corner. India 2-1 Spain with 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: India take lead for the first time! Guess who scored? Yes, you guessed it right - Harmanpreet Singh has his second in the third quarter. Spain's coach tells the players to calm down after the shot gets deflected and finds the back of the net. Harmanpreet celebrates his second goal. India 2-1 Spain in 3rd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Thanks to Harmanpreet Singh’s brilliant strike in the final seconds of the second half, India and Spain start the second half all square again. Abhishek loses ball in the 3rd quarter - Spain get back on the ball.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Leading from the front, Harmanpreet Singh converts India’s second penalty corner. The goal arrived seconds before the half-time hooter. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. The half-time talk has been changed by the Indian skipper. Spain took the lead in the 2nd quarter. India responded with a brilliant goal from skipper Harmanpreet. India 1-1 Spain at half-time.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Penalty corner for India! Can Harmanpreet Singh and Co. make it count? That was a terrific save by the Spanish defender - he celebrates the save like a goal. Spain remain ahead of India. Here comes Hardik with another Indian counter - twisting and turning but he fails to come up with the final ball.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Smooth skills on display by Sukhjeet Singh after Lalit finds his teammate - he goes down and the official says ‘nothing doing’. Spain on the counter again. Into the final 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter we go! Earlier, PR Sreejesh won a one-on-one against the Spanish forward. He makes another save - it has hit the post.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: India showing intent! After going 1-0 down early in the 2nd quarter - Harmanpreet Singh and Co. are looking to get on level terms. Indian fans rallying behind the Men In Blue. Spain 1 - 0 India in 2nd quarter.
PR Sreejesh with stunning reactions as he denies Spain its second goal against India. After the corner, India aimed for a counter - the bid ended real quick as Spain are on the attack. La Roja dominated possession so far in the 2nd quarter. Spain 1 - 0 India in 2nd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: FOUL! Gerard Clapes gives a thumbs-up after the foul by Amit. He was going for goal. PENALTY for Spain! Captain Marc Miralles steps up against PR Sreejesh. Picked his spot beautifully - the Spanish captain puts his side ahead in the 2nd quarter. Spain 1 - 0 India in 2nd quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Jarmanpreet and Raj Kumar have worked well against Spain. India still looking to make early inroads. Harmanpreet Singh on the ball, he is leading India’s final attack but he won’t get to deliver the searching ball as the hooter went off! First quarter is history, folks. India 0-0 Spain after 1st quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Abhishek twisting, turning and spinning around the Spanish defence to get into the dangerous area. He fails to find a teammate and Spain launch a counter of its own. Ignacio Rodriguez led the attack and Spain got a free hit.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: India’s Gurjant cops nasty blow! Harmanpreet's cross hits him on the head. He is down. Meanwhile, Spain on the attack - The Wall PR Sreejesh early into the action. Harmanpreet extended India’s possession after Sreejesh made his first save against Spain. India 0-0 Spain in 1st quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: Good tackling by Sumit - India need to utilise its right flank. Here's Sukhjeet Singh with the first shot on goal - it's wide - the Indian scuffed his shot in the end. India 0-0 Spain in 1st quarter.
India vs Spain Olympics 2024 Live: We are down to the final four at the Paris Olympics. Manpreet Singh making early moves in the 1st quarter; Spain's defence regained possession. Free hit to India in the end. India 0-0 Spain in 1st quarter.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: Are you ready? Goosebumps when India's anthem was played at the Yves Du Manoir Stadium. Indian team has arrived at the venue for the blockbuster clash. Spain's anthem is next! India have defeated Spain seven times out of 10 games. It's time to win No.8!
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: PR Sreejesh described his international career as "nothing short of extraordinary" ahead of the bronze medal match between India and Spain. "As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride. This journey, from a young boy with a dream to the man defending India's honour, has been nothing short of extraordinary," he said.
"Today, I play my last match for India. Every save, every dive, every roar of the crowd will forever echo in my soul. Thank you, India, for believing in me, for standing by me. This is not the end, but the beginning of cherished memories. Forever a custodian of dreams," he added.
Spain's starting XI:
1.Alejandro Alonso
2.Jordi Bonastre
3.Xavier Gispert
4.Pepe Cunill
5.Jose Maria Basterra
6. Gerard Clapes
7.Marc Reyne
8.Marc Miralles
9.Luis Calzado
10.Joaquin Menini
11.Ignacio Rodriguez
India's starting XI against Spain:
1.Sreejesh PR
2.Amit Rohidas
3.Harmanpreet Singh
4.Sumit
5.Sanjay
6.Shamsher Singh
7.Manpreet Singh
8.Hardik Singh
9.Abhishek
10.Sukhjeet Singh
11.Mandeep Singh
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: Skipper Harmanpreet disappointed after Germany's defeat but wants players to focus on bronze now.
"This is extremely disappointing as we came here to win a gold medal. But, having said that, it's better to go home with bronze than nothing," Harmanpreet told Jio Cinema after the match.
"When you lose in the semifinal game, it's not that easy to take as reaching the final is a dream of any athlete," the captain added.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: PR Sreejesh played a pivotal role in India's bronze-medal winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. After making his debut at the 2006 South Asian Games, Sreejesh was a part of various memorable wins for India, including a gold in the 2014 Asian Games and a bronze medal in the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta-Palembang.
He was also part of the Asian Champions Trophy-winning side in 2018, and the 2019 FIH Men's Series Finals champion team in Bhubaneswar.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: PR Sreejesh penned down a heartwarming note on social media, saying that he is "forever a custodian of dreams" of his country. Taking to Instagram, Sreejesh wrote, "As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride. This journey, from a young boy with a dream to the man defending India's honour, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Today, I play my last match for India. Every save, every dive, every roar of the crowd will forever echo in my soul. Thank you, India, for believing in me, for standing by me. This is not the end, but the beginning of cherished memories. Forever a custodian of dreams. Jai Hind."
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: India are clear favourites to win the tie against Spain but in the end it will all boil down to the mental aspect of the side. While India lost a close semifinal, Spain were thrashed 0-4 by Netherlands. In world ranking too, Spain are placed eighth while India are currently at the fifth spot.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: India enjoy an upper-hand over Spain in head-to-head record, winning last four of the five game they played against each other. In Olympics, India and Spain squared off in 10 contests with India coming out winners in seven, while their rival won one game and two matches ended in draws. India's most notable victory over Spain was in the gold medal match of the Moscow Olympics, which they won 4-3.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: Veteran India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who is playing his last international tournament, reminded his teammates that all is not lost. "It's a heartbreaking loss for us (against Germany). We had the chance to win gold, but now, we have to forget this semifinal and focus on the bronze medal match," he had said.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024:India had a tough day against Germany in the semifinal as the one thing which let them down was their finishing. They were not clinical in front of goals be it from open play or penalty corners. The Indians were guilty of wasting too many scoring chances, including as many as 10 penalty corners, while converting two, one directly and another through variation.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: The return of Amit Rohidas, who missed Tuesday's match after being shown the red card against Great Britain in the quarterfinal, should bolster the Indian defence and also give more chances from penalty corners as he is second best option from set pieces after Harmanpreet.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: A win would secure India's 13th Olympic hockey medal and their fourth bronze, adding to their legacy as one of the sport's most successful nations. India won their first Gold Medal after beating the Netherlands 3-0 in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and went on to dominate, winning Gold Medals in the 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1980 Olympics. In addition to their 8 Gold Medals, India claimed a Silver medal in 1960 and 3 Bronze medals in 1968 and 1972, and the previous Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: It is going to be PR Sreejesh's final international hockey match and the Indian team will try their level best to give the veteran goalkeeper a medal-winning farewell at the biggest stage. Sreejesh has been rock-solid throughout the Olympics this edition.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: After a heartbreaking defeat against Germany, India need to regroup quickly to set their sights on the bronze medal and finish their Paris campaign on a high. The Indian team fought hard till the final second against Germany but suffered a 2-3 loss which ended their dream of gold medal.
India vs Spain Live Score Hockey, bronze medal match Paris Olympics 2024: Hello and welcome to our live blog of India vs Spain bronze medal match in men's hockey event at Paris Olympics.
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