After Argentina defeated New Zealand by the same score in Pool B on Tuesday, July 30, and India defeated Ireland 2-0, the men’s hockey team from India qualified for the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics.
India defeated Ireland as predicted thanks to the heroics of Harmanpreet Singh, who scored two goals in the first and second quarters.
Ireland’s chances of advancing to the quarterfinals were dashed by India’s victory. Nonetheless, during the match, India’s situation was greatly complicated by the Irish players.
India’s first goal came via a penalty kick in the first quarter, in the thirteenth minute. The opening for India came from Gurjant Singh, who transferred the ball to Mandeep Singh in front of the Irish goal post. Shane O’Donoghue then made a risky tackle, and the referees gave the Men in Blue a penalty kick.
India took the lead right away as Harmanpreet Singh went up to take the penalty shot and converted with ease.
With the aid of a penalty corner, Harmanpreet scored the second goal of the game, which ended up being the game’s winning goal, in the nineteenth minute.
India attempted two straight penalty corners, but the Irish defenders stopped both, and Harmanpreet eventually broke through with a bullet drag-flick. Ireland attempted to rally multiple times, but were thwarted by India’s alert defence and seasoned custodian PR Sreejesh.
Notably, on Thursday, August 1, India will take on the reigning champions, Belgium, in their fourth group-stage match.
Men’s Pool B Standings
| S. No. | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | Points |
| 1. | Belgium | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2. | India | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 3. | Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 4. | Argentina | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 5. | New Zealand | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. | Ireland | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
