With a place in the quarter-finals secured, India will look for consistency when they face defending champions Belgium in their tough penultimate Group B match at the Paris Olympic Games on Thursday. The Red Lions lead Group B with three wins in as many matches, while the Indians are one step below, in second place, with two wins and a draw. Powerhouse Australia are in third place with seven points from two wins and one defeat. Argentina also qualified for the quarter-finals with four points from three games, which included one win, one draw and one defeat.
New Zealand and Ireland are out of contention after suffering three consecutive defeats. Only the top four teams can go through to the round of 16.
The Indians started their campaign shakily with a 3-2 win over New Zealand and then scored a last-minute goal to salvage a draw against former champions Argentina.
But against Ireland the performance was completely different from the Indians, at least in the first two quarters. They dominated possession with one touch to score two goals in the first quarter, which proved vital in the end.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh once again rose to the occasion, first converting a penalty kick and then finding the net from a set piece in the second quarter to give his team victory.
The Indian midfield, led by veteran and four-time Olympian Manpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh, also brought their A game to the table, creating several chances for the attacking line.
Players like Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, Gurjant Singh and Sukhjeet Singh shone in keeping the pressure on the opposition defence.
Against Ireland on Tuesday, India opted for short one-on-one passes to build their attacks rather than aerial balls.
Right-back Jarmanpreet Singh has been a revelation in the tournament so far and has been omnipresent, whether defending or creating chances from the wings.
Another player who deserves credit is Amit Rohidas, who put in a solid performance at the back. He saved penalties brilliantly, being the first shooter and in one-on-one situations.
But it is India’s wall, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who is living up to his reputation in the Olympic swan song. He made several good saves against Ireland in the final two quarters to give his team the victory.
After Belgium, India will conclude their clashes against rivals Australia on Friday.
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