They’ve already surpassed all expectations and the Indian girls’s hockey group will now look to go somewhat additional and notch up its maiden podium end on the Olympics when it takes on Nice Britain within the bronze medal play-off right here on Friday.
The boys’s group rewrote historical past on Thursday because it claimed an Olympic medal after 41 years, defeating Germany 5-4 to win the bronze in an edge-of-the-seat play-off match.
And having already recorded their best-ever Olympic efficiency, the Indian girls would look to double the nation’s pleasure on Friday.
However it might be simpler mentioned than performed for the Indians as they have been thrashed 1-4 by Nice Britain, who have been the defending champions, within the pool levels.
Having did not emulate their gold-winning efficiency in Rio 5 years again, Nice Britain can be determined to at the very least log out their marketing campaign with a podium end from right here.
However India can take coronary heart from the truth that opposite to the ultimate score-line, it was a detailed match in opposition to Nice Britain within the pool levels.
The Indian girls’s hockey group wasted a number of possibilities in that match and will have made a more in-depth match of it had they confirmed higher ending abilities.
The distinction between the 2 groups was that India had the higher share of possibilities however Nice Britain utilised extra alternatives that got here their method.
India secured as many as eight penalty corners within the match however transformed only one. Nice Britain too didn’t have nice success price from set items as they discovered the web simply as soon as from the six they earned.
The Indians would take plenty of confidence from their spirited efficiency in opposition to world no.2 Argentina within the semifinals although they misplaced match 1-2.
The Indians fought valiantly and gave Argentina a run for his or her cash however have been responsible of conceding penalty corners at essential junctures of the match which finally proved pricey.
With nothing to lose from right here on, world no.7 India would fancy their possibilities in opposition to world no.4 Nice Britain.
There isn’t any strain on them because the 18 fearless and decided girls have already performed the unthinkable once they shocked three-time champions Australia 1-0 to enter the Olympic semifinals for the primary time.
India’s greatest efficiency got here method again within the 1980 Moscow Video games the place they completed fourth out of six groups.
In that version of the Video games, girls’s hockey made its debut within the Olympics and the game was performed in a round-robin format with prime two groups qualifying for the ultimate.
Regardless of the heart-breaking loss in opposition to Argentina, India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is focussed on the job forward.
“We got here right here to win a medal and nonetheless there’s one (obtainable). It’s now about restoration, concerning the mindset. The nice factor is, it’s not at all times good that we misplaced lots prior to now however we even have discovered to cope with the losses,” Marijne had mentioned.
The Dutchman feels the necessity of the hour is to seize the alternatives that come their method.
“In these matches it’s about taking your alternatives.”
Captain Rani Rampal too mentioned the competitors just isn’t but over for the Indians.
“The event just isn’t over but. We nonetheless have an opportunity to win a bronze medal. An Olympic medal is a medal. In case you win gold that’s good however nonetheless bronze is a medal, so we are going to combat for that medal and we are going to deal with the subsequent match,” she mentioned.
The Netherlands will play Argentina within the ultimate on Friday. PTI
