Paris Olympics: Harmanpreet's late strike hands India 3-2 win over New Zealand in men's hockey

NEW DELHI: Skipper Harmanpreet Singh emerged as the hero for India in their Pool B opener against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. He scored the winner from the spot in the final minute of the match, securing a thrilling 3-2 victory for his team.
New Zealand took the lead early in the game through Sam Lane's goal in the 8th minute. However, India fought back, with Mandeep Singh finding the equalizer in the 24th minute.Vivek Sagar Prasad then put India ahead in the 34th minute, PTI reported.
The Kiwis refused to give up and leveled the score through Simon Child's strike in the 53rd minute.
Harmanpreet and Abhishek began the match aggressively, putting immense pressure on New Zealand's defensive line. The New Zealand team, in response, opted for a more cautious approach, focusing primarily on protecting their goal.
However, New Zealand managed to surprise India by scoring the opening goal of the game through Lane, who capitalized on their first penalty corner opportunity.
The early setback caught India off guard, prompting them to intensify their efforts and dominate the game for a significant portion of the remaining time. India's determination to equalize was evident as they maintained possession and created numerous scoring chances.
The Indians utilized both flanks to build their attacks, while the Black Sticks focused on sitting back and defending, looking for counter-attacks.
Despite the scoreline, India's chief coach Craig Fulton might have some concerns about the team's penalty corner conversion rate.
India earned five penalty corners but converted only one, whereas New Zealand had nine set pieces and capitalized on two of them.
India managed to equalize in the 24th minute through a penalty corner. Harmanpreet's initial flick was blocked by New Zealand's goalkeeper, Dominic Dixon, but Mandeep capitalized on the rebound to score.
Shortly after halftime, Dixon thwarted Mandeep's reverse shot from the top of the circle, despite a precise pass from Harmanpreet.
Four minutes into the second half, Vivek found the back of the net amidst a chaotic scramble in front of the goal, putting India ahead.
However, New Zealand responded swiftly, applying intense pressure on the Indian defense and earning four consecutive penalty corners within the next two minutes, although they failed to convert any of these opportunities.
Trailing, the Black Sticks maintained their attacking intent and quickly secured two more penalty corners. The second one found the back of the net as Child converted from a rebound to level the scores.
However, the match didn't end there. The Indians applied relentless pressure in search of a crucial win, and Sukhjeet Singh's smart play earned a penalty corner, leading to another set-piece opportunity.
The second penalty corner resulted in a penalty stroke for India after Harmanpreet's drag flick hit Child on the body. The Indian skipper made no mistake, securing the vital win for his team.
India will face the formidable Argentina in their next Pool B match on Monday.