The Indian Men's Hockey Team secured the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics on Thursday, ending a decades-long wait for an Olympic medal with a 2-1 victory over Spain.
Spain's captain, Marc Miralles, opened the scoring with a penalty corner in the second quarter, giving Spain a 1-0 lead. However, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh turned the tide with two crucial goals. Singh equalised just before halftime, and then scored again in the third quarter to secure the win.
India started the match aggressively, pressuring Spain's defense early on. Despite several attempts, the first quarter ended scoreless. Spain capitalised on a penalty corner awarded after a foul by Amit Rohidas, with Miralles finding the top corner to give Spain the lead.
India responded with increased pressure and multiple penalty corners. Singh's goal with 14.6 seconds left in the second quarter levelled the score at 1-1. In the third quarter, Singh struck again, converting a penalty corner to put India ahead 2-1.
Spain had a goal ruled out in the third quarter after a review, and despite their continued efforts in the final quarter, including several penalty corners, the Indian defense held strong. The game concluded with India emerging victorious and claiming the bronze medal.
With this triumph, India's medal tally at the Paris Olympics rises to four, all bronze.