10-men Indian hockey team light up Stade Yves-du-Manoir to storm into the Olympics semi-finals

Storming home through reckless odds, the Indian hockey team posted a show of defiance as they edged past Great Britain in what was a roller-coaster ride with a man down for 44 minutes of the contest in the Olympics quarterfinal.

The Men in Blue booked their second consecutive semi-final berth in the Summer Games as a shootout saw them edge past their counterparts with their seasoned custodian, PR Sreejesh proving to be an instrumental difference beneath the poles.

After Amit Rohidas was shown a red card, a very rare occurrence in hockey, India showed extreme grit and gumption to brave the Brits. Tactical brilliance was up for display and the Men in Blue were acing it like none other. For the first 17 minutes, both the teams kept on pushing each other to fringes with equal numbers on both sides.

However, in the 18th minute, a spirited Amit Rohidas lifted his stick in a duel for possession that smacked Will Calnan on his head. After video consultation, the umpire decided that the Indian attacker’s actions were intentional and he was handed marching orders.

Unnerved by the incident, the Indian team kept on battling and showed a spirit of unison as Britain failed to find an opening through the melee of the Indian defenders. If the Indian defence wasn’t an already airtight one, the towering presence of PR Sreejesh proved to be the unbreakable lock that was slam shut on the face of the Britons.

Within just five minutes of the send-off, Indian captain, Harmanpreet Singh blasted home his signature drag flick to propel India to a slender lead. However, Britain hammered home an equalizer, instilling fears of the floodgates being pried open but Sreejesh simply bolstered the lock, fending off a tidal wave off the British attacks.

When the hooter sounded after 60 minutes, the Indian players celebrated as if there was no tomorrow. With the tie-break still remaining, for the Men in Blue, all that was needed was another show of conviction in the five penalties to follow suit.

A twin save from Sreejesh saw India standing on the cusp of the second consecutive semi-final and it was debutant Raj Kumar Pal who smashed home the all-important winner to send India hammer and tongs to the semis where they will be playing against Hockey Germany.