Despite a commendable second-half performance, Ireland couldn’t secure their first victory at the Paris Olympics, suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of India in the Men’s Hockey Pool B. The inability to convert opportunities, especially in the third quarter where they had a series of penalty corners and a solo attempt against India’s goalkeeper, Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran, thwarted Ireland’s hopes of progressing into the quarter-finals.
Ireland has yet to register a win from three fixtures in the pool, and only two games remain against New Zealand and Argentina. Irish coach, Mark Tumilty, expressed his disappointment over the lacklustre performance in the first two quarters, criticising the team for playing with ‘too much respect’ and poor basics.
The game started with India taking control promptly, earning a penalty corner within two minutes of kick-off. However, the first goal came from a swift counterattack, with Indian player Gurjant Singh steering towards the goal. A rush out by David Harte, Ireland’s goalkeeper, caused an accidental foul on the Indian player, and a penalty was immediately granted. Harmpreet Singh, skipper of the Indian team, successfully converted it into a goal, giving India a lead of 1-0. Seven minutes later, another penalty corner resulted in another goal by Singh after the ball hit an Irish player’s foot in the circle. The second goal by Singh gave India a comfortable 2-0 lead over Ireland.
In the second half of the game, Ireland made a determined comeback, applying pressure on India during the third quarter. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalise on their efforts due to poor finishing. Despite numerous attacks into the circle, missed opportunities in front of the goal and at the distant post at a corner left the Irish with nothing to show for their best phase of play. Ireland gained 10 penalty corners, but none resulted in goals.
Tumilty expressed his disappointment, noting that they had the chance to score not only once but possibly twice, which could have added an interesting twist to the game. He pointed out the critical need to seize opportunities at this level of play, lamenting that Ireland should have garnered six points to qualify. He added that the team needs to emerge victorious from their final two matches as failure to execute in the crucial final third of the play often leads to penalties.
The next match for the team is against Argentina, scheduled for the 1st of August.
Ireland’s team comprised of D Harte, L Cole, S O’Donoghue, P Brown, T Cross, M Robson, M Nelson, S Murray (captain), J Duncan, J McKee, and K Marshall, with D Walsh, P McKibbin, B Walker, B Johnson, N Page as rolling substitutes. The Indian team consisted of S Parattu Raveendran, J Singh, A Abhishek, M Singh, Mandeep Singh, S Sing, Harmpreet Singh, S Sumit, Shamser Singh, H Singh, and A Rohidas. The rolling substitutes were G Singh, S Sanjay, K Upadhyay, K Pal, and V Prasad.