There was a sense of cautious optimism in the Indian camp after the win against Spain and goalkeeper Sreejesh, who had a good match with a clean sheet to boot, exuded just that.

“The three points we gained is all-important and we will continue to focus on collecting points in our next games against Argentina and Japan to ensure a quarterfinal place,” he said while cooling down after the morning match at the Oi Stadium in Tokyo on Monday.

India’s 3-0 win came in the wake of a huge 1-7 defeat against Australia in their last match and Sreejesh explained the team decided to forget that match and look ahead.

“It’s not so important on what happened yesterday or the day before,” said the talismanic goalkeeper.

“Our defence was bad against Australia but it was good today and we bounced back well.

“It’s important to concentrate on the task at hand and as a goalkeeper, I need to soak up pressure and control the team. Yes, it’s time to forget that match, even this one and move forward.”

And looking ahead, Sreejesh viewed the challenge posed by Argentina. “We played them recently and know they are skilful. Our mantra is to look at ourselves and execute planning,” he said.

“We are progressing gradually. Against New Zealand, we played our first competitive match after a long time and we were reminded how intense the matches here will be while playing Australia.

“The knockouts present a really tough challenge and the newer players got a close look at Olympic competition,” Sreejesh said.

About the young players in the squad and their ability to soak up pressure, Sreejesh said that all are now Olympians and are seasoned to that extent.

About the worry the coronavirus is causing, he said: “It’s in our subconscious mind. We are given freedom at the Village but we know we must conduct ourselves responsibly, wear masks, sanitize ourselves and remain indoors as much as possible,” the 33-year-old said.