PR Sreejesh emerged as the hero in the penalty shootouts, leading India to a 4-2 victory over Great Britain in the men’s hockey quarterfinals on Sunday, August 4. Despite finishing 1-1 in regular time and playing with 10 men for most of the match due to Amit Rohidas receiving a red card, India secured their spot in the semifinals for the second consecutive Olympics.
The match began with Great Britain exerting early pressure, earning two penalty corners within the first five minutes. However, the Indian defense held firm. Sreejesh made a crucial save from Samuel Ward in the 11th minute, and India responded with three consecutive penalty corners, all saved by the British defense.
The game’s drama intensified in the second quarter. In the 17th minute, Amit Rohidas was shown a red card for an incident involving Calnan, reducing India to 10 men. Despite this setback, India took the lead in the 22nd minute when Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner past goalkeeper Payne. Great Britain continued to attack and equalized in the 27th minute through Lee Morton.
The third quarter saw relentless pressure from Great Britain. Sreejesh made another vital save in the 32nd minute to deny Rupert Shipperly. India’s defense was tested repeatedly, with the penalty corner count rising to 10. India faced further challenges as Sumit received a green card, leaving them with just nine players for a period.
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In the penalty shootout, Sreejesh’s outstanding save against Philip Roper was pivotal. Rajkumar Pal scored the decisive goal, securing India’s place in the semifinals with a remarkable performance, despite the numerical disadvantage for most of the match.
