Heartbreak for India, lose to Germany 2-3 in Olympic semifinals

Paris, Aug 6 (PTI) India missed a golden chance to enter the hockey final of the Olympics for the first time in 44 years as they went down 2-3 to Germany in a close last-four clash at the Paris Games here on Tuesday.

The Indians started brightly and dominated the early exchanges, before the Germans regrouped themselves.

It was a great opportunity for India to enter their first final of the Olympics since the 1980 Games but Germany dashed their hopes with a decisive goal in the fourth and final quarter.

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh (7th) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th) struck for India, while Gonzalo Peillat (18th), Christopher Ruhr (27th) and Marco Miltkau (54th) were the scorers for Germany.

India will now take on Spain in the bronze medal match, while Germany will be up against Netherlands in the final.

The Indians were on the front foot, pressing the German defence hard in the opening quarter and in the process scored the first goal of the match through Harmanpreet.

But the Germans, known for their steely resolve, came back strongly in the second quarter and equalised from a penalty corner through Peillat, before talking the lead through a penalty stroke conversion by Ruhr.

The Indians secured both their goals through penalty corners as in the 36th minute, Sukhjeet nicely deflected in a variation from Harmanpreet’s flick.

The Germans attacked with intensity in the fourth and final quarter and just six minutes from the final hooter, they scored the winner when Miltkau deflected in a cross to break Indian hearts.

The Indians had their chances in the match as they earned as many as 11 penalty corners but converted just one.

Germany, on the other hand, secured only four penalty corners.