Olympics 2024 Hockey: 'The Wall' - Twitter hail PR Sreejesh as India defy odds to advance to Semifinals

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The Indian hockey team defied the odds to beat Great Britain and booked a berth in the Olympics 2024 semifinal on Sunday (August 4).

The Men in Blue played with a man less for 42 minutes in the match and after a 1-1 scoreline in normal time, they went on to win 4-2 in penalties to qualify for the semis.

Olympics 2024: India vs Great Britain Hockey - As It Happened

India went down to ten men as Amit Rohidas was sent off for an intentional stick. That did put a dent but India captain Harmanpreet Singh roared back with a superb drag flick to give them the lead in the 2nd quarter. But they were quickly pegged back as Lee Morton equalized before halftime.

In the 2nd half, across the two quarters, the Britain side created multiple chances but failed to score the elusive goal. It was an outstanding performance from India's custodian PR Sreejesh, who saved multiple shots from the Great Britain strikers to deny them and keep parity in the end. The Indian players defended valiantly and took the match to the penalty shootout.

In the penalty shootout, Sreejesh was again at his very best. Although Britain scored their first two goals. Williamson missed one and then Phil Roper's shot was superbly saved by Sreejesh to get India into the cusp of quarterfinal victory.

Rajkumar Pal took the 4th shot for India and converted it into a goal to ensure India's passage to the semi-final of the Olympics 2024.

The whole country burst into rejoicing as the Men in Blue now have a chance to replicate their Tokyo heroics and even better that. Here are some of the best reactions from the Netizens-

India's union minister Kiren Rijiju wrote on social media.

"A Sensational Shootout! Bharat's men's hockey team outplayed Great Britain to reach the #Paris2024 semi-finals! In a supercharged match filled with breathtaking moments, our athletes showcased extraordinary talent & grit. Their performance is setting the stage for an unforgettable finish. Best of luck for the semi-finals-bring home the glory," he wrote on social media.

Here is what India cricketer Devdutt Padikkal wrote after the victory.

It was indeed an excellent defensive display from the Indian team and PR Sreejesh was at his optimum best. The Indian custodian deserves special credit for his heroics.