Indian men's hockey team defeated Germany by 5-4 in a thrilling bronze medal match at Tokyo Olympics on Thursday (August 5). They ended a 41-year wait for an Olympic medal in hockey. India won their last hockey Olympic medal at the 1980 Moscow Games where they got the gold.
It was not an easy win for India who were struggling after being down 1-3 at one stage in the match. But four consecutive goals put them ahead in the match. Germany could score only one goal in the last quarter and India stayed with a goal lead till the end to win bronze.
The last time India featured in the semifinals of the Olympics was in the 1972 Munich Games where they lost 0-2 to arch-rivals Pakistan. It was already an achievement for the team to reach this stage of the competition, but a medal did complete their successful journey in Tokyo.
The cricket fraternity congratulated India's men hockey for the success in Olympics 2020. Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag wrote that it's a landmark day in Indian hockey.
"Chak De Fattey ! Burraaah A landmark day for @TheHockeyIndia After being down 3-1, INDIA fights back to win the bronze medal match 5-3, a first Olympic medal in #Hockey after 40 years. Mazaa aa gaya #IndvsGer," he tweeted.
India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar congratulated the hockey team for victory. He lauded the effort by India's goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh to save the penalty corner in the last moment.
"Congratulations to each & every member of the hockey contingent on winning the #Bronze for India! A fantastic hard fought win…The penalty corner save by Sreejesh in the dying moments of the game was amazing. India is immensely proud! #Hockey #Tokyo2020 #Olympics," the tweet read.
Here are the other tweets:
