India's hockey star and now an Olympic medal winner goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was elated after the team won bronze as he stated that it's the rebirth of the sport in the country.
It took 41 years, but the dream of every Indian was finally realised on Thursday after the men's hockey team defeated Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal at the Oi Hockey Stadium -- North Pitch.
The Men in Blue showed absolute resilience and strength to register a remarkable comeback win against a strong German team. For India, experienced PR Sreejesh again came to the rescue for the team after fittingly saving Germany's 13th penalty corner of the match in the final seconds of the match to ensure a historic bronze for the team.
"It's a rebirth. That's it. It's been 41 years. In 1980 we won the last medal and after that, nothing. Today when we won it, this gives a boost and gives energy to the youngsters to pick up hockey, play this game," Olympics.com quoted Sreejesh after the win.
"This is a beautiful game. Now we are giving a reason for them to pick up hockey, play the game and make the country more proud than this," the three-time Olympian pointed.
For India, Simranjeet Singh (17th and 34th minutes) and Harmanpreet Singh (27th and 29th) scored braces while Rupinder Pal Singh (31st) slotted in a penalty stroke.
Timor Oruz (2nd), Niklas Wellen (24th), Benedikt Furk (25th) and Lukas Windfeder (48th) scored for Germany in a very tightly contested match.
( With inputs from ANI )
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