GB men exit after shoot-out loss to India

Great Britain 1 (1)

Morton (27’, FG)

India 1 (1)

Singh H (22’, PC)

India win the penalty shoot-out 4-2

In a repeat of the Tokyo quarter-final, Great Britain and India faced each other again to see who would make it through to the Olympic hockey semi-finals.

It was another highly contested encounter, which ended 1-1 at full time. India played nearly three quarters of the game with 10 men, after a red card, and GB put an intense amount of pressure on their opponent’s circle and goal looking for winner but just weren’t able to convert their chances. India took the lead from a Harmanpreet penalty corner, only for GB to equalise just before half-time through Morton. With the scores level it came down to a shoot-out which India won, scoring all four after GB had scored two but missed two.  

A cooler temperature at the Yves-du-Manoir stadium was not matched on the pitch in what was quite a fractious game. The momentum in the first quarter started with GB but then swung back to India in the last 6-7 minutes. GB worked numerous circle penetrations and were rewarded with a number of penalty corners. After five minutes Gareth Furlong’s penalty corner drag flicks were blocked successfully the on running Indian defence, and again on eleven minutes, Sam Ward’s drag flick very nearly broke the deadlock. It was Jarmanpreet on the left post who managed to get a stick on it and then clear the danger.

India’s first chance came after ten minutes with a strike from Abhishek from the right of goal, which Ollie Payne saved with an outstretched right pad. Then minutes later India’s Harmapreet had a succession of penalty corners. The first two blocked by the defence, the third by a save from Payne.

The second quarter served up even more intensity and action. It was only three minutes old when Amit Rohidas running with the ball, lifted his stick up making contact with Will Calnan’s head.  The video review judged it to be deliberate serious foul play and Rohidas was shown a red card. Now with only ten players, India had to absorb a lot of pressure but also looked to play on the counter-attack. One of these breaks led to a penalty corner after a cross in on goal was saved by Payne but then got stuck under his body.  India’s captain Harmanpreet stepped up to dispatch a penalty corner drag flick past the GB runners and down the middle of the goal, to make it 1-0.

GB continued to probe trying to find a way through, it finally came on 27 minutes with a goal from Lee Morton. The ball was worked around the circle and hit in from Furlong on the right. India’s keeper Sreejesh made the initial save, but the ball bounced back to Morton who pushed it past the keeper. It hit the keeper’s right side but he could not prevent the ball running over the line into goal to make it 1-1.

The third & fourth quarters were really a tale of considerable possession from GB as they tried to work chances in the circle, but resolute defence from India and some great saves from the Indian keeper Sreejesh.  GB managed to generate twenty two circle entries to India’s eight, plus ten penalty corners by full time, but just weren’t able to take one.

With the lottery of a penalty shoot-out, it was India who won out calmly converting all four of their attempts.  Albery and Wallace scored for GB, before Williamson fired wide and Roper’s shot on the reverse was saved, to give India a 4-2 shoot-out win. India advance to the semi-finals and for Great Britain, sadly their Olympic campaign is over.

Feeling inspired by the hockey in Paris? Get involved and pick up a stick this summer, there is plenty on offer for you.