Paris: Abhishek opened the scoring as Harmanpreet scored twice to help India men’s hockey team beat Australia 3-2 in their last group stage Pool B match of the Paris Olympics at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium on Friday.
The Indians started their campaign on a shaky note with a close 3-2 win over New Zealand and then scored a last-minute goal to salvage a draw against former champions Argentina.
But against Ireland, it was a completely different performance from the Indians, at least in the first two quarters. They dominated the possession with one-touch play to score two goals in the first quarter which proved vital in the end.
The India men’s hockey team were suffered a narrow 1-3 loss at the reigning champions Belgium.
The Red Lions are leading Pool B with four wins from as many matches, while the Mighty Australia are placed second with nine points from three wins and a loss. Indians are a rung below in third place with two wins, one loss and a draw.
Argentina have also qualified for the quarterfinals with four points from three games, which includes two wins, a draw and a loss.
