Rio Olympics 2016 - The History Book of Indian Hockey

Rio Olympics Hockey: Indian Women’s Team lose 0-3 to USA

Indian Hockey Admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 07:24:06 +0000

The Indian women’s hockey team were outclassed 3-0 by group leaders USA in their clash on Friday. The Indians, playing in the Olympics after a gap of 36 years, were simply outplayed by their opponents, who exposed their defensive frailties with a comprehensive win in a lop-sided match.

Kathleen Bam scored two goals for USA, with Melissa Gonzalez slotting in the third. India’s Rani Rampal hit the boards with a reverse hit during the first quarter, but the umpire declared it dangerous play and disallowed the goal. India are yet to register a win at Rio and face Argentina next on Saturday. However, they are not out of the quarterfinal contention yet. They have to beat Argentina next and hope that Australia beat or draw with Japan.
After an inspiring performance against Japan and a reasonable show against Great Britain, the Indian women’s hockey team fell by the wayside against Australia. They suffered a 1-6 defeat to a rampaging Australia and this heavy loss against USA must have stung as well.

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Rio Olympics Hockey: Indian Men’s Team suffer second defeat, lose 1-2 to Netherlands

Indian Hockey Admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 06:06:20 +0000

A combative India muffed five penalty corners in the fag end and went down fighting 1-2 to the Netherlands in their fourth Pool B match of the Olympic men’s hockey competition here today.
With six points from four matches, India is at third place and will play Canada in the last game of the pool. Assured of a quarter-final berth, India will end up third in the poll if it wins against Canada.
For all their early exuberance, the Dutch’s frustration was rising as they were not able to get a breakthrough. However, as the second session opened, the Dutch earned their first penalty corner but Mink Van Der Meerden failed to beat goal keeper Sreejesh, but on the rebound Rogier Hoffman struck to give them the lead in the 32nd minute (1-0).
India defended deep in the closing stages of the third quarter, though SV Sunil and Raghunath were shown a yellow card each, leaving India down to nine men.
The Dutch would take full advantage of being a man up in the final quarter and stormed through with a series of penalty corners. Sreejesh stood strong, saving three in a row, before Van Der Meerden scored to give them the lead with six minutes of the game left (2-1).
After the game, captain Sreejesh was not happy with the result. “We muffed our chances. We can’t look at it as five PCs, it’s just one taken five times. This is the difference, we should convert in the dying minutes. I wasn’t surprised, it was a strategy. We needed to put pressure with an extra player and it worked, We earned 6 PC in the last five minutes.
“We are in the same position. We haven’t gone down. Winning two matches is crucial, rest is bonus. That will decide where you stand in the pool. It is better to win as many matches as possible.”
“We controlled the game well, we got opportunities. When we had nine players on the field, even then we controlled the game well. We could not convert in the end, we should have drawn the game. Like in the match against Germany, a small error cost us the game,” he added.

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India Men’s Hockey Team made its 2nd win in Rio 2016 Olympics, India vs Argentina

Indian Hockey Admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 10:10:43 +0000

India men’s hockey team defeated Argentina 2-1 in their third Pool B encounter at the Olympic Hockey Centre on Tuesday to climb third in the standings with two wins to their name.
Manipur’s Chinglensana Kangujam scored the opening goal for India in the eighth minute and the lead was doubled in the third quarter by another Manipuri player – Kothajit Khadangbam.
Similar to their second game against Germany on Monday, in which India faltered and conceded a last-gasp goal to concede the game, the VR Raghunath-led team played a jittery final quarter with Argentina reducing the deficit via penalty corner goal by Gonzalo Peillet early in Q4. With less than eight minutes to go, Argentina earned a barrage of penalty corners but India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh made three crucial saves to deny drag-flick specialist Peillet. India just about managed to stave off Argentina to register a close win. This is the first time India have beaten Argentina since 2009.
India started the match aggressively and earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 7th minute when defender Ramandeep Singh hit the leg of an Argentinean defender inside the circle. Rupinder Pal Singh’s flick was blocked, but in the next minute India got their second PC and this time Chinglensana found the net to hand India 1-0 lead in the first quarter.

India got lucky in the dying minutes of the first quarter, when Argentina were denied by the post.
In the next quarter, Argentina looked in better rhythm and were on the charge. While India dominated the play in Q1, the lion’s share of possession in Q2 was enjoyed by their opponent. Argentina got close to a goal in Q2 but a fantastic block by Sreejesh helped India maintain their one goal advantage going in to the long break. In the third, India got the better of Argentina and Kothajit Khadangbam doubled the lead scoring a field goal five minutes in to the third quarter.
In the final quarter Argentina clawed their way back into the game and dominated the proceedings. Their sustained pressure inside the D led to as many as four penalty corners, but Sreejesh put aside his disappointment of conceding a goal against Germany with three seconds left on the clock, with three brilliant saves to keep India ahead.

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India lost 1-2 against Germany with a 59th minute goal – Rio Olympics 2016

Indian Hockey Admin — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 06:21:24 +0000

Hockey coach Roelant Oltmans’ assertion that there were no grey areas in his team fell flat on Monday as Indian hockey team once again lost nerves in the closing moments of the game and conceded a goal just three seconds from the hooter to lose 1-2 to Germany in their second Pool B game.
Christopher Ruhr made full use of the chaos that prevailed in the Indian defence as he deflected the ball home to give the defending champions their second straight win at the Rio Olympic Games.
It was Niklas Wellen who put Germany ahead in the 18th minute but the lead lasted barely five minutes as Rupinder Pal Singh drew parity, scoring off a penalty corner.
Germany counter followed and they broke the deadlock when Linus Butt set up Wellen near the goal. Wellen made no mistake and dribbled past defender Surender Kumar to slam the ball in India’s net beating goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in the 18th minute.
India rallied back strongly with SV Sunil’s cross found the body of Martin Haner, resulting in a penalty corner. Rupinder provided the equaliser by firing low to German goalkeeper Jacobi’s right.
India had equal share of ball and attack till the end of the second quarter in which they muffed a few chances. Raghunath’s brilliant through ball was well intercepted by Nikkin but he could not beat Jacobi.
In the third quarter, Indians dictated the terms with Danish Mujtaba and Akashdeep Singh proving threatening from the left. They created many chances but their finishing was not up to mark.
Raghunath’s diagonal ball was defended poorly, earning India a penalty corner. This time, Rupinder’s flick was cleared by Jacobi, who then saved the rebound in the 38th minute.

Christopher Ruhr of Germany celebrates the winning goal against India with his teammates (Source Reuters)

Germany fought back in the first couple of minutes in the final quarter, after Timur Oruz’s free-hit was defended messily. It resulted in a penalty corner but Furste’s flick was dismissed by defender Surender.
India increased the pressure when Sunil was brought down just away from the circle, resulting in a penalty corner. Rupinder again stepped up, only to be denied by the rival defence. Germany mounted several counter attacks but failed to translate them into goals.
However, India lost the match they should not have when in the dying moments they conceded a goal that came as a free-hit from the halfway line. Ruhr, the two-time World Young Player of the Year, deflected the ball home to get his team three full points.
It was the fourth loss for India against Germany in 11 Olympic matches. Overall, it was the 51st loss for eight-time Olympic champions India against the European side in 94 matches.
India will next play Argentina on Tuesday.
With two wins from as many games, Germany lead Pool B with six points, followed by Netherlands (4) and India (3).

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India Women’s Hockey Team Face Tougher Task Against Britain: Rio Olympics 2016

Indian Hockey Admin — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:23:05 +0000

After a come-from-behind draw against Japan, India will face last edition’s bronze medallists Great Britain in their second Pool B women’s hockey match at the Rio Olympics on Monday.
The India women’s team staged a brilliant comeback to draw 2-2 with Japan on Sunday.
Trailing 0-2 after the end of the second quarter, India hit back with goals from Rani Rampal and Lilima Minz.
It was an inspiring start by India in the first ten minutes of the first quarter but Japan took control of proceedings and moved ahead with two goals towards the end of the first and second quarter.

India were found playing catch-up as Japan made some aggressive moves and created plenty of scoring opportunities.
India, however, turned the tables in the third quarter as they scored two goals to level the scoring at 2-2.
Coach Neil Hawgood said they were nervous initially on the big stage.
“We didn’t handle the ball well and I think they (Japan) deserved to be 2-0 up. I think in the second half we started to play what I know we can actually play.”
The women’s team have qualified for the Summer Games after a 36-year absence and coach was confident they will make a mark in Rio.
England on the other hand started their campaign with a 2-1 win over Australia after Lily Owsley scored in the second quarter.
Georgina Morgan equalised from a penalty corner but Alex Danson grabbed the winner with a reverse-stick shot late in the third quarter.

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India Men’s Hockey team won 3-2 against Ireland in opening encounter: Rio Olympics 2016

Indian Hockey Admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 05:08:53 +0000

India, ranked fifth in the world made its presence felt in Rio de Janerio with a 3-2 win over Ireland in their opening encounter at the 2016 Summer Games.
It was a rematch of their fixture from the recently-concluded Six Nations Tournament which had seen the Men in Blue clinch a 2-1 win courtesy goals from Talwinder Singh and Sardar Singh. Going up against an upbeat Irish side who has qualified for the first time since 1908, the Indians had everything to play for as they took the field.
The hunger was apparent in Rupinder Pal Singh and VR Raghunath as India earned four penalty corners in the first quarter. Although they missed the first three shots, ace drag-flicker Raghunath started the proceedings after he found the back of the net in the 15th minute.

Goals from VR Raghunath and Rupinder Pal Singh helped India clinch a convincing 3-2 win over Ireland.

The second quarter saw the Indians raising their game to execute a flurry of onslaughts on the Irish goal. Rupinder Pal Singh eventually made it 2-0 in the 27th minute from another penalty corner. An eventful second quarter led to the scoreline reading 2-0 at half-time.
India dominated the field left, right and center in the third quarter as Ireland failed to take control of the game. The midfield was stretched to its fullest where the well-experienced talisman Sardar Singh, who completed 250 caps along with fellow central pivot Manpreet rose many notches. The ‘Green Machine’ bounced back with a goal in the 45th minute, John Jermyn scoring for Ireland.
But the PR Sreejesh-led India regained their shape as the crucial third goal from Rupinder gave them a 3-1 lead. Conor Harte scored Ireland’s second goal in the final quarter to give them a glimmer of hope in the dying stage, but India held on to register a convincing 3-2 win.
Two wins from five games will be enough to see the ‘Men in Blue’ out of a tough ‘Group B’ which includes Canada, Germany, Netherlands, and Argentina.
India will be playing Germany in the next game on August 8.

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Indian hockey team will not participate in Rio Olympics march past

Indian Hockey Admin — Fri, 05 Aug 2016 06:09:51 +0000

The Indian hockey team representing India at the Rio Olympics will not participate in the march-past because their jerseys are not ready.
India’s hockey team which has garnered a total of 8 gold medals for the country was left hapless when they saw that more than 8 of their jerseys were misfit and were not suitable for the players. As the march-past will be televised live worldwide, the hockey players have decided to skip the event for fear of being embarrassed at the global stage.
Equipped with improper jersey kit, this is another blow to the morals of the athletes who are hoping that they will bag the gold medal for India.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President N Ramachandran will be liable to answer for this gross negligence at such an important stage in the Olympics.

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Hockey India players living in ‘Poorly Furnished’ apartments at the Olympic village in Rio de Janeiro

Indian Hockey Admin — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 11:59:20 +0000

Indian Hockey team players, who are currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to participate in Rio Summer Olympics 2016, are living in a room with no facility for even sitting. Roelant Oltmans, coach of India hockey team, shared pictures of players sitting on bean bags in their apartment in Games Village. Oltamas lashed out at India’s Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta complaining that apartments given to India Hockey players are not properly furnished.
Roelant Oltmans on Monday wrote a letter to India’s Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta and complained that players’ apartments are not properly furnished. “The apartments of the Rio Olympics are not furnished properly,” Oltmans, who is also the High Performance Director of Indian hockey, wrote in his letter. After receiving no response, agitated Hockey India president Narinder Batra shared pictures of players sitting on bean bags on social media.

India hockey team players at their apartment in Games Village

In the pictures shared by Batra, the players can been seen lying on the bean bags and the apartments are empty with no basic furniture. Batra lashed out at Gupta in his post saying, “Dear Mr President IOA and Chef De Mission Indian contingent… have you all and IOA Staff who have gone to Rio, are on some kind of a Paid Holiday?”
Angry Narinder Batra shared his agony at Gupta on social media saying “I certainly hope you want Indian teams to do well…” India Hockey coach Roelant Oltmans had written a letter explaining what kind of problems players have been facing at Rio Olympics as their rooms lack basic facility. But India’s Chef de Mission Rakesh Gupta didn’t reply to his complaints.
Players of several other countries have also complained about the unfurnished apartments at the Olympic Village. Recently, an Australian team had to be evacuated from their building at the Olympic Village because of a fire in the basement.

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Indian Men’s Hockey Team lose to Spain in opening encounter of two-match preparatory camp

Indian Hockey Admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 12:25:22 +0000

The Indian Men Hockey team lost to Spain 4-1 in the opening game of the two-match preparatory camp for the Rio Olympics 2016 in Spain.
The hosts started quickly off the blocks and had the opening goal in the 10th minute via Xavi Lleonart. It took India until the second quarter and the 21st minute to win an equaliser via a stroke scored by Rupinder Pal Singh from the spot.
Spain took the lead in the final minute of the second quarter, via Pau Quemada to go into half-time in the lead. In the third quarter the hosts scored two goals, via Lleonart (31’) and Quemada (42’) to take a 4-1 lead.
India came into the final quarter looking to give a quick run to even the score, however they were only able to hold defensively in the last quarter to ensure that Spain didnât further increase the scoreline.
India next play Spain on 28 July 2016 at 21.30 IST.

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Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam will be leading the Indian Women’s Hockey Team in Rio

Indian Hockey Admin — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 09:53:54 +0000

Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam will be leading the Indian women’s hockey team when they make their comeback appearance at the Olympic stage after a hiatus of 36 years, next month at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
Having just been handed the reins over from regular skipper Ritu Rani following a controversial exclusion of the latter from the national side, for the 24-year-old halfback from Manipur it would, no doubt, seem to be a mammoth task to perform.
With over a hundred senior appearances under her belt, Sushila certainly has the requisite experience in controlling matters from the backline, but with her being handed the captain’s role with less than a month to go for Rio 2016, quite a number of heads have been turned.

Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam new Indian women’s hockey team Captain

Although it’s the first time she will don the skipper’s armband for the Indian Eves, she was the central figure in India’s historic Bronze Medal win – defeating England in a penalty shootout – at the 2013 Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup held in Germany’s Monchengladbach. Therefore, Chanu is no stranger to leading teams at crucial stages in the international arena.
However, at the moment, the new captain is a figure of confidence. She is ready to rise to the occasion and has assured us of a positive show that would earn the Indian team at least a quarter-final berth after group stage victories over USA and Japan and a tight contest against Argentina.

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