"PR Sreejesh is the god of Indian hockey" - Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey hails the legendary goalkeeper
After the Indian men’s hockey team advanced to the semi-final with a win over Great Britain in the quarter-final, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey hailed the legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh as the “god of Indian hockey.”
Sreejesh played a crucial role in the match against Great Britain, making some important saves. He was exceptional in the shootout, as India won the shootout by 4-2 and stormed into the semi-finals.
"He (Seejesh) made some important saves in the match. Even during the shootouts, he defended the goal with confidence. He has done so well in the past, be it the Olympics, Champions Trophy, Asia Cup etc. He is the god of Indian hockey,” Dilip Tirkey told ANI.
Notably, Sreejesh had already announced ahead of the Paris Olympics that this mega event would be his last international competition for India. This decision has motivated the Indian men’s hockey team to bid goodbye to their veteran goalkeeper with another Olympics medal.
“This is a historic win,” said Dilip Tirkey on India’s win over Great Britain with only 10 players
Moving into the details of the quarter-final, in the second quarter, India's Amit Rohidas received a red card after he raised his stick in a dangerous position. A red card means the player has to leave the field and the team has to play with one less player for the rest of the match.
"In today's match, only 10 players were playing. This is a historic win. It was very difficult to play with 10 players for 45 minutes. I am a player, I know what it is like. We could not attack much and we knew it. Players worked really hard and played well till the last whistle,” Tirkey said.
“Everyone, from the players to management, wants to be in the medal tally and win the gold medal.”
Despite having 10 players on the field, the Indian team put their best foot forward in defense. They found their first goal, courtesy of their skipper, Harmanpreet Singh, who converted a penalty corner.
Great Britain responded with a goal of their own but their attacks were stopped by India's defense and some impressive saves from Sreejesh, leading the game to go into a shootout, where India eventually prevailed.
India will either take on Germany or Argentina in the semi-final. Interestingly, Spain defeated reigning Olympic champions Belgium by 3-2 in the quarter-final to storm into the semi-final. They will face the Netherlands in the semis.