A resolute Indian men’s hockey team rewrote history as they won an Olympic medal after 41 years, defeating a plucky Germany 5-4 to win the bronze in an edge-of-the-seat play-off match of the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.
The eight-time former gold-winners, who battled a heartbreaking slump in the last four decades, made the resurgence of the last couple of years count in the best way possible with an Olympic medal.
Simranjeet Singh (17th, 34th minutes) scored a brace, while Hardik Singh (27th), Harmanpreet Singh (29th) and Rupinder Pal Singh (31st) were the other goal getters for world no.3 India.
Germany’s goals were scored by Timur Oruz (2nd), Niklas Wellen (24th), Benedikt Furk (25th) and Lukas Windfeder (48th).
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Determined to clinch a medal, the Indians made one of the most memorable comebacks in the history of the game, fighting back from a two-goal deficit to turn the match in their favour.
It is India’s third hockey bronze medal in the history of the Olympics. The other two came in 1968 Mexico City and the 1972 Munich Games.
Here are the some of the best reactions after the match:
Pretty proud of these legends! pic.twitter.com/Kms2gcuvJp
— Graham Reid (@reidgj) August 5, 2021
Let me smile now 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8tYTZEyakU
— sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) August 5, 2021
HISTORY HAS BEEN REWRITTEN! THEY HAVE ENDED THE MEDAL DROUGHT!🥉#IND beat #GER by 5-4 to clinch the #bronze medal at #Tokyo2020……the FIRST #hockey Olympic medal after 41 years! #UnitedByEmotion | #StrongerTogether
— #Tokyo2020 for India (@Tokyo2020hi) August 5, 2021
An emotional moment for the entire nation, a moment of pride. The long wait has ended! Congratulations to the Indian Men's Hockey team for their splendid achievement. @TheHockeyIndia
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 5, 2021
An #OLYMPIC medal in #HOCKEY after 41 years. So happy to have called this match from the commentary box with Raman Bhanot. Smiles now. Il probably cry later. Means so much to Indian hockey. I’m so proud to be an Indian hockey player and so proud of this team ❤️🇮🇳🏑 pic.twitter.com/gXEWIKNzsz
— Viren Rasquinha (@virenrasquinha) August 5, 2021
What scenes! A bronze that almost means as much as a gold!!! pic.twitter.com/KsFkFv5S1A
— Ashish Magotra (@clutchplay) August 5, 2021
HISTORY!!! A BRONZE WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD!!
— jonathan selvaraj (@jon_selvaraj) August 5, 2021
40 years after India last won an Olympic medal, they have another. They beat Germany 5-4 to win bronze in Tokyo. 16 new heroes for a new generation of Indians! pic.twitter.com/H94H813eJw
FIFTH MEDAL FOR INDIA AT #TOKYO2020
— Zenia D'cunha (@ZENIADCUNHA) August 5, 2021
More importantly,
A #HOCKEY MEDAL FOR INDIA AT #OLYMPICS AFTER 41 YEARS!
Waited so, so long for this, it has finally happened!😭
Congrats #TeamIndia – the players & the fans.
𝘼 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮! 😍🇮🇳
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) August 5, 2021
India come back from two goals down to defeat Germany in the men's hockey bronze medal match at #Tokyo2020. What a phenomenal performance!! 🔥#Olympics #Cheer4India #BackTheBlue @TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/ghMGxcDuw8
Tbh, it is yet to sink in, the magnitude of today for #Ind #Hockey will take some time I guess, right now there is a void. Also to put in context, I wasn't born the last time #IndianHockeyTeam won an Olympic medal & I am old! #Tokyo2020
— Uthra 🇮🇳 (@Bakwasbaaji) August 5, 2021
Indian hockey team on the Olympic podium again after 41 years! Pulsating match. Germany giving it their all, but ultimately India win the day. From 1-3 down to a 5-4 win speaks of the skills, resilience, and ambition of this team. Upwards and onwards from here! #Tokyo2020
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) August 5, 2021
Kid wants to bunk online class to celebrate 😂#hockey 🏑🏑🏑🏑🏑
— smitha nair (@smitharnair) August 5, 2021
😭😭😭😭😭😭 My generation’s first Olympics medal in hockey. Omg so many emotions! A generation that grew up learning about our greatness in hockey but repeatedly saw them fall short on all fronts.
— Akarsh Sharma (@Akarsh_Official) August 5, 2021
Well done boys 🇮🇳
— Vijender Singh (@boxervijender) August 5, 2021
How it started How it’s going pic.twitter.com/p77Shd5eyU
— Naveen Peter (@peterspeaking) August 5, 2021
Remember the Name SREEJESH!! @16Sreejesh ❤️#Hockey #Olympics
— Manuja (@manujaveerappa) August 5, 2021
The penalty corner in the last 6 seconds was nerve wrecking. Massive massive performance and result for 🇮🇳
— Aditi Chauhan GK 🇮🇳 (@aditi03chauhan) August 5, 2021
Both men's and women's @TheHockeyIndia team have redefined the meaning of BELIEF for me. #Hockey #Cheer4India #TeamIndia #Tokyo2020 #Olympics https://t.co/sfl9gLRr1q
Congratulations 🇮🇳 . Bronze in Hockey after 41 yrs . What a game. Proud of Indian Hockey. @TheHockeyIndia @Olympics pic.twitter.com/JkJVZYWNp3
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) August 5, 2021
Wow ! Wow !
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) August 5, 2021
Elated seeing the Indian Hockey Team coming back in grand style from being 3-1 down, fighting back and winning the bronze medal match against Germany, India's first medal in #Hockey since 1980 .#IndvsGer.
Many congratulations @TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/gE2DBEnm5T
How fitting was it that #sreejesh was the last Indian in action during the game #Hockey #Tokyo2020
— Amol Karhadkar (@karhacter) August 5, 2021
Another day, another medal! 🥉
— Muhammed Anas Yahiya (@muhammedanasyah) August 5, 2021
Congratulations @TheHockeyIndia Men's team for bringing the glory home after such a long gap. #TeamIndia #Hockey #TokyoOlympics2020 #Tokyo2020 @WeAreTeamIndia
12th Olympic medal for 🇮🇳, and this (our) generation has finally witnessed India winning an Olympic medal 🥲🥲#Hockey #Tokyo2020
— Hari Priya CR (@cr_hariPriya) August 5, 2021
A BILLION CHEERS for INDIA 🇮🇳!
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) August 5, 2021
Boys, you’ve done it !
We can’t keep calm !#TeamIndia 🥉!
Our Men’s Hockey Team dominated and defined their destiny in the Olympic history books today, yet again !
We are extremely proud of you!#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/n78BqzcnpK
Players are in tears of joy. So are the hockey fans. Let us celebrate the revival of Indian hockey. Proud of you @manpreetpawar07 and his team. Don’t forget coach Graham Reid 👍👍
— Vijay Lokapally (@vijaylokapally) August 5, 2021
with the #Hockey men's bronze, 5 medals confirmed. best ever haul a real possibility now. 6 were won in London and several contenders still to come - Vinesh, Bajrang, Neeraj, women's hockey, aditi ashok...#Tokyo2020 #Olympics
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) August 5, 2021
Finally, Major #DhyanChand smiling from heaven by seeing #HockeyIndia striking a success at #Olympics #Bronze
— Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) August 5, 2021
Massive congratulations to #TeamIndia #Hockey men team.
Winning a team medal in #OlympicGames by #IND after 41 years would change the landscape of sports in India.
They’d already given the heart back to Indian #Hockey earlier in the week but going by the incredible sense of joy back home, Sreejesh and his team have also finally brought an end to a four-decade long heartache today at #Tokyo2020 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/HQXU6zAup6
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) August 5, 2021
the last time India won a medal in hockey, i was in school .... and most of the west had boycotted the olympics (soviet invasion of afghanistan)
— Harini Calamur (#maskup) (@calamur) August 5, 2021
41 years later -- welcome home
Well done boys in blue --- #Olympics pic.twitter.com/Tub88tdTpH
Just took a while to type these.. couldn’t hold back my tears.. its redemption after 49years 🇮🇳. Thank you @TheHockeyIndia #IndianHockey #Hockey #TeamIndia #Olympics @IndiaSports @sports_odisha @Naveen_Odisha
— Joydeep Karmakar OLY (@Joydeep709) August 5, 2021
Wow!! Indian Men’s Hockey Team Congratulations. Resilience and skill at its peak. What an exciting match.
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) August 5, 2021
What a great morning!! Superb win!!
— Ishant Sharma (@ImIshant) August 5, 2021
Breaking the streak after 41 years, that’s a marvellous moment!! We are proud of you, congratulations boys!!👏👏👏
Jai Hind!!🇮🇳 #Hockey #Tokyo2020 #IndianHockey #CheerForIndia #TokyoOlympics #Olympics pic.twitter.com/Io95DBtA1a
Since Rahul Dravid is now Indiranagar ka gunda, we have a new Wall in town. Sreejesh!! #Hockey #Olympics
— Kosturi (@55tension) August 5, 2021