Sreejesh rues missed chances; lauds team for 'standing tall'

India's goalkeeper P R Sreejesh rued missed chances in the action-packed Olympics men’s hockey semi-final against Germany on Tuesday, but applauded his teammates for "standing tall" during a difficult match.

He said the German team had come prepared to tackle drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh and the "homework" on the skipper had an impact on the final result, which left them fighting for bronze at the Paris Games.

India earned 11 penalty-corners but could score from only two.

"That was a difficult match; we got our chances but could not convert them; that's it! Then you can see it in the scoreline. It's a matter of homework," Sreejesh said after India's 2-3 defeat.

"I think they've done a wonderful job against Harman, how to tackle him, because he's one of the best drag-flickers in the world, and definitely, that's what they've done against us. So some days are like that."

Sreejesh said the key now will be to quickly regroup, take the defeat in their stride and strive to win the bronze medal match against Spain on Thursday.

"It's a medal match and it's not about me; it's about the country. It's about those 19 players here, all the staff. And I think we all get a last opportunity to play, to get a medal for our country rather than worrying about what happened today."

"These 19 players should play like this is our last opportunity as a player to get a medal for our country."

Sreejesh flatly refused the suggestion that his teammates were nervous and playing the chasing game.

"If they were nervous, they couldn't make that kind of opportunities on the field. They fought like champions and I think some piece of luck with them and they got it. But I think my players have done a wonderful job there.

"They fought back, they really stand tall. And, unfortunately, we couldn't finish it the way we wanted. But I think it's not an easy deal."

Sreejesh said they would like to forget the defeat but definitely, it will be discussed when they plan for the game against Spain.

"See, we need to look at this match also because from there we realise what went wrong and what we can do better. Because a lot of the opposition look into these kind of matches; they learn how they can hurt us in certain ways. So we need to find that out and we need to block that.

"Definitely Spain is not an easy team. They are really fighters. The way they played in the quarter-finals showed that we can't be in a relaxing chair.

"I think where we lost, the screen, but definitely, as I mentioned, the players did a wonderful job. They fought really well and that is what we want for the future."

Sreejesh credited his teammates for his long innings with the Indian team. He will play his last match for the country on Thursday.

"They helped me to become what I am today. Tomorrow is going to be a last stride. So I hope they will do good for me."

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024