India’s goalkeeper PR Sreejesh saves goal against Germany during men’s semifinal match in Yves-du-Manoir stadium in Paris on Tuesday, 06 August 2024.
| Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR
Goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh said the Indian team should grab its second chance to win a medal in the Paris Olympics instead of worrying about the 3-2 loss to World champion Germany in the semifinals of the hockey competition at the Yves du Manoir Stadium here on Tuesday (August 6).
Sreejesh, who would play his last international match in the third place encounter against Spain on Thursday (August 8), said winning a medal should be the team’s priority.
“It’s a medal match and it’s not about me, it’s about the country. It’s about those 19 players and the staff. We will get a last opportunity to play, to get a medal for our country [and should focus on that] rather than worrying about what happened today,” said Sreejesh.
The seasoned custodian admitted that India could not utilise its chances, including several penalty corners. “We got our chances but did not convert many of those. You can see it in the scoreline. It’s a matter of homework.
“They did a wonderful job against Harman, how to tackle him. Because he’s one of the best drag-flickers in the world and definitely that’s what they’ve done against us.”
“But my players have done a wonderful job. They fought back, they really stood tall. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it the way we wanted. It’s not an easy deal.”
Sreejesh was confident that the team would do well against Spain in the bronze medal match. “We are tough. I believe we will bounce back in a better way. This consultation will have to be about how to fight that bronze medal match more than discussing this loss.
“We need to look at this match also because from there we will realise what went wrong and what we can do better. Because a lot of the opposition look into these kinds of matches, they learn how they can hurt us in certain ways. So we need to find that out and we need to block that.
“Spain is not an easy team. They are real fighters. The way they played in the quarterfinals showed that we can’t be in a relaxing chair,” said Sreejesh.
