India score historic hockey win over Aus

Skipper Harmanpreet Singh scored twice for the Indian men’s hockey team as they beat Australia 3-2 at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Friday.

This was India’s first victory against Australia in hockey at the Olympics since Munich 1972 – 52 years ago. Since then, the two teams played each other seven times, with India losing five of those games before their victory in Paris.

For world No. 7 India, skipper Harmanpreet Singh (13’, 32’) and Abhishek (12’) scored the goals while Thomas Craig (25’) and Blake Glovers (55’) got on the scoresheet for the fourth-ranked Australian team.

Harmanpreet Singh has scored six goals at the Paris 2024 Olympics hockey tournament so far, as many as he did at Tokyo 2020, where India won the bronze medal.

Earlier, Britain’s men and women, the Argentine and Spain’s women all qualified for the last eight in the Olympic hockey on Thursday as the heat and humidity that marked the last two days of competition dissipated for cooler temperatures.

All the men’s quarter-finalists have now been decided, with only two places still up for grabs in the women’s from Pool A.

Britain’s men punched their ticket to the last eight with a 2-1 win over hosts France in Pool A as defender James Albery tapped home the winner as they came from behind for the third game in a row after draws with Netherlands and South Africa. They are second behind Germany after four games with the third-placed Netherlands and Spain in fourth also through.

Australia thrashed New Zealand 5-0 in Pool B to seal their quarter-final spot as they bounced back from a 6-2 defeat by Belgium. They stand in second place behind the Belgians but ahead of India and Argentina, who also qualified.

The Argentines overcame Ireland 2-1 with goalkeeper Tomas Santiago saving a penalty stroke in the dying seconds of the third quarter to preserve their lead and place in the knockouts.

Britain’s women’s team followed the men into the last eight by thrashing the United States 5-2 with 50% shooting efficiency, as four players struck including Tess Howard who scored twice.