K. ARUMUGAM

Photo Courtesy: Yan Huckendubler

Germany reaped the reward for efficiency with a pulsating 3-2 win over India in the 2024 Olympics men’s hockey semi-finals at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir in Paris on Tuesday. The European powerhouse now play The Netherlands on Thursday in a bid to win their fifth Olympic gold medal but the first since London 2012 when the same nations clashed in the final.

The Dutch stormed into the gold medal match with a 4-0 rout of Spain in the earlier semi-final.

India were understandably gutted by the result especially because they could have hauled the contest into the shootout had Shamsher Singh scored with the last touch of the match after enjoying the better of the exchanges.

He went all out with a blistering hit that went just over the German crosspiece a split instant before the final hooter sounded to end an absorbing contest watched by 15,000 including FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Head coach Craig Fulton of South Africa instinctively reacted by hurling his clipboard in frustration as the hooter sounded but must be proud of his team for how they competed right through the tournament.

Give credit where it’s due. The Germans played second fiddle for most of the match but controlled the key moments and made their chances count.

India though producing mesmerising skill and slick movement were found wanting for clinical action in the circle.

Both teams missed a key player. India endured the devastating red card ban of Amit Rohidas for raising a stick and injuring a Great Britain player in the quarterfinals. Germany missed Tom Grambusch, a defensive mainstay, with a broken finger.

Rohidas’ loss was more devastating. The defender is an ace first rusher at penalty corners and, as feared by Indian supporters, here was where the match was won and lost.

But it was India who grabbed the match by the scruff at the outset and took the lead in the seventh minute through Harmanpreet Singh’s trademark penalty corner drag-flick from the seventh award out of 12 in the match — the Indian captain’s eighth goal in the competition that places him top of the list.

India who beat Germany 5-4 to claim bronze at Tokyo 2020 enjoyed a first-quarter ascendancy, thanks to some dazzling play by Hardik Singh.

The Germans, however, endeavoured to take control at the fag end of the first quarter and carried the momentum into the second.

Germany deployed their strengths – circulating the ball, utilising the width of the pitch and exercising strength on the ball – to shift the momentum.

It gave them more possession, something that coach Andre Henning may have demanded during the quarter-time chat.

It led to a moment that the Indian camp dreaded – a penalty corner to the World Cup champions.

Gonzalo Piellat, the Argentine-German who won gold playing for the country of birth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and another at the 2023 World Cup, shaped ominously for his lethal drag-flick and duly struck the boards to make it 1-1 in the18th minute – his fourth goal in the tournament.

Abhishek, who has scintillated in this campaign, went close shortly later and Lalit Upadhyay fired over goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneburg in the 24th minute as India looked good to regain the lead.

But PC No. 2 arrived for Germany with three minutes to the half-time hooter. Piellat struck Jarmanpreet’s foot on the line and Christopher Ruhr stepped up to flash the ball from the resultant penalty stroke to Sreejesh’s right and bring up his team’s 2-1 lead in the 27th minute.

India upped the ante in the third quarter and the penalty corner count kept mounting. Danneberg padded Harmanpreet’s drag flick but Hardik put the rebound inches wide of the far post.

Another PC proved abortive before India forced their 12th and last of the match. It was clear a variation was needed and Sukhjeet responded to the ploy brilliantly, stabbing Harmanpreet’s forward push past Danneburg and make it 2-2 in the 36th minute.

Germany stamped their authority in the final quarter forcing three more penalty corners to take their tally to five in the match.

Sreejesh padded Piellat’s essay from the Germans’ third PC but the rebound fell to Justus Weigan whose attempt was incredibly stick-blocked by Sanjay.

The Germans continued to hold sway and Sreejesh, busy as ever, effected another save from a counter attack. Another PC followed, Germany’s fourth, and the amazing Sreejesh who will retire after the bronze medal match, proved equal to Lukas Windfeder’s attempt.

The relentless pressure by Germany, four-time champions, was bound to tell. A seeming lapse of concentration occurred in the Indian ranks and Germany scored a ruthlessly clinical goal in the 54th minute that proved to be the match-winner.

Peillat’s worth to Germany isn’t just drag-flicks and, advancing to the left edge of the circle, he crossed to Marco Miltkau who squeezed his deflection past Sreejesh to put the Germans 3-2 ahead.

India pulled Sreejesh for an outfield player with two and a half minutes to go but India were lucky not to go further behind thanks to the endearing sporting spirit shown by Piellat despite the significance of a semi-final battle.

The drag-flicker discretely kept his shot low from Germany’s fifth penalty corner defended by India without a goalkeeper and the defence warded off danger.

India regrouped to throw everything into attack and succeeded in finding Shamsher in the striking circle, only for the forward to dispatch the spheroid over Danneburg’s glove and the German goal.