Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
India roar back in form, take down Argentina 3-1
NEW DELHI: The last time an Indian men’s hockey team defeated the defending champions at the Olympics was when Lal Bahadur Shastri was prime minister, the country’s cricket team was yet to win a Test series abroad, and The Beatles were yet to release “Let it be”.
It was the final of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, India beat archrivals and holders Pakistan 1-0 to claim gold — their seventh at the Olympics — and to avenge the defeat in the final at Rome 1960. At Tokyo 2020 on Thursday, Manpreet Singh and his men beat the 2016 Rio champions Argentina 3-1 to move into the quarterfinals.
The win is significant, particularly after the 1-7 debacle against Australia on Sunday, as it cements India’s second position in Group A behind the World No.1 outfit, having secured wins against New Zealand and Spain earlier. “Feeling great after the win, but there’s a lot of things to improve,” defender Rupinder Pal Singh told Reuters. “The important games are coming in a few days,” he added.
India proved that their backto-back wins against Argentina in their own backyard in Buenos Aires in April were a reliable indicator. India, now ranked No. 3 in the world, were clearly the superior side at the Oi Hockey Stadium, enjoying 53% of possession and making 28 circle penetrations — compared to Argentina’s eight. They also earned eight penalty corners to their opponent’s two.
India’s intent to put Argentina under the pump from the start was evident: they kept possession, made multiple forays into the circle, and had a shot on goal as early as the fourth minute.
The midfield and forward line kept the Argentine defence busy throughout. Argentina’s first real attempt at a goal came only towards the end of the first half, and was blocked by the ever-reliable goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. Yet, the goals refused to come. This was partly because of solid goalkeeping from Argentina’s Juan Manuel Vivaldi, and partly because of India’s failure to put the finishing touches.
But India were rewarded for their attacking intent (they created 14 chances to Argentina’s six) when Varun Kumar, playing his first match in Tokyo, scored in the 43rd minute from a penalty corner. Things got tense when, three minutes into the last quarter, Argentina equalised. India attacked with renewed intent and in a thrilling finish as Vivek Sagar Prasad (58th) and drag-flick ace Harmanpreet Singh (59th) scored to take the match away.
“Good performance today,” said India chief coach Graham Reid. “This is what Argentina can do -- they sit back in the game, and then all of a sudden they score a corner... What was good is that we didn’t let that frustrate us, we stayed patient and stuck with the game plan.”
India will next play hosts and reigning Asian Games champions Japan, who are yet to win a game in the group stage.
“We need to play (against Japan) as though it is the quarterfinals and we will be keeping an eye on what happens in the other pool at the same time,” added Reid. From Group B, world champions Belgium, Netherlands and Great Britain have qualified for the last eight.