India defeats Britain in quarter-finals, advances to Olympic hockey semi-finals

PARIS: Indian hockey team triumphed over Britain in a thrilling quarter-final match at the Olympics, securing their place in the semi-finals. The match, which saw both teams equalize with one goal each in regular time, was decided through a penalty shootout where India emerged victorious with a 4-2 scoreline. The hero of the match was Malayalee player and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who stood like a wall against the British attack.

Despite being reduced to ten men during the match, India fought valiantly. Indian skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored in the 22nd minute, but Britain's Lee Morton equalized in the 27th minute. In the penalty shootout, India prevailed 4-2. India's semi-final opponents will be either Germany or Argentina.

In the preliminary rounds, Britain finished third in Pool A, while India finished second in Pool B with 10 points from three wins, one draw and one loss. India started their campaign by beating New Zealand 3-2, followed by a 1-1 draw with Argentina and a 2-0 win over Ireland. Although they lost to Belgium 1-2, they bounced back to defeat Australia 3-2 in their last match. This victory was significant as it was India's first win against Australia in hockey since the switch to artificial turf at the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and their first victory over Australia in 52 years.