India falls short in hockey semi-final against Germany, set to compete for bronze in Paris Olympics 2024

India missed a valuable opportunity to advance to the hockey final of the Olympics for the first time in 44 years as they lost 2-3 to Germany in a closely contested last-four encounter at the Paris Games here on Tuesday. The Indian team started off brightly and controlled the early exchanges, before the German team regrouped. It was a significant chance for India to reach their first final of the Olympics since the 1980 Games but Germany shattered their aspirations with a decisive goal in the fourth and final quarter.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh (7th) and Sukhjeet Singh (36th) scored for India, while Gonzalo Peillat (18th), Christopher Ruhr (27th) and Marco Miltkau (54th) found the net for Germany.

India will now face Spain in the bronze medal match, while Germany will compete against Netherlands in the final.

The Indian team was on the offensive, exerting pressure on the German defense in the opening quarter and managing to score the first goal of the match through Harmanpreet.

However, the Germans, known for their strong determination, mounted a strong comeback in the second quarter and equalized from a penalty corner through Peillat, before taking the lead with a penalty stroke conversion by Ruhr.

India scored both their goals from penalty corners, with Sukhjeet deflecting in a variation from Harmanpreet’s flick in the 36th minute.

The Germans launched intense attacks in the fourth and final quarter, and just six minutes before the final hooter, they scored the winning goal as Miltkau deflected in a cross, breaking Indian hearts.

India had several opportunities in the match, earning a total of 11 penalty corners but converting only one.

In contrast, Germany only managed to secure four penalty corners.