Tokyo Olympics: Defeat Against Australia Was A Wake-Up Call For Us, Says Manpreet Singh
Mumbai: India men’s hockey captain Manpreet Singh has said that the loss against Australia was a wake-up call for the team in the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympics and they are now focusing on one match at a time.
India’s men’s hockey team defeated defending Olympic champions Argentina 3-1 in their fourth Group A match at the Oi Hockey Stadium – North Pitch here on Thursday. With this win, the team has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Olympics.
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“The tournament is not over. We have one match against Japan tomorrow and we have a lot left. We will not think about how we beat the defending Olympic champions yesterday. We all played well and dominated the first three quarters but still, we missed opportunities. Our defence did good and we will carry this further in the tournament and will focus on tomorrow’s match,” Manpreet told reporters after the match.
“We created a lot of chances and we will work on our last pass. In the quarter-finals and the match against Japan will be difficult because they will be a good team and they will not give us easy chances.”
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Talking about the crushing 7-1 loss to Australia in the pool game, Manpreet said, “It was a wake-up call for us. We were very disappointed and we focused on our next matches.”
“Obviously it is summer but somehow we have an upper hand because even there we were training in the afternoon and here also our matches are scheduled before noon. That’s why we have an advantage. But for everyone, the weather is the same.”
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India will now face hosts Japan in their last Group A game at Oi Hockey Stadium on Thursday at 3:00 pm IST.
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