Quotes
The first match in the Olympics is never easy. New Zealand is not an easy team, We made some mistakes, but there were a few good things as well. It's a good wake up call for the team,
We got three points and that's what is important. We gave them opportunities and they converted. The last few minutes were not easy but in hockey it's always like that, from first whistle to the last there is tension,
One special thing is that in the Olympic games, you can't take anything back. You know, any team can play better games on a particular day. So it's important for us to just focus on our game and look forward to the match,
In the dying moment, my defense did a wonderful job to stop them from scoring. As the legends have said, forwards win matches but the defense wins tournaments,
India's goalkeeper PR Sreejesh said We have always seen New Zealand as a strong opponent and have discussed this team in detail during our team briefs. It is good to be reminded of the World Cup match against them, so we know we can't drop the momentum at any point in the game. It's important for us to start well and keep up the pressure through the game,
the ace drag-flicker remarked on the eve of the contest We are here on a mission to change the colour of our medal and yes, we are in a tough pool with teams and they are serious contenders for a medal in Paris but on a good day, we have proven to be better than the rest and that's the mindset we will carry into this tournament,
opined Harmanpreet’s deputy Hardik Singh, inferring the team is starting with a clean slate If we keep our defence strong, then we can finish on the podium. Our strikers are experienced and good so goal scoring shouldn’t be a problem but we need to keep our defence tight. We will for sure score goals but not giving them away is what will prove to be the defining thing for us,
says former India forward and Olympian SV Sunil We saw in the Pro League that we conceded a lot of goals. The European leg didn’t go well, we lost many matches. But if we defend better results will be better. India have quality players, they just need to keep it simple, not do anything extraordinary and follow the coach’s plan,
It will be all about converting the opportunities. You will not get many and if you need too many chances to score you will not win these matches,
says former India chief coach Sjoerd Marijne It is the best pool we can get. In Olympics no match is easy. We are looking at the first games to set the tempo before we take on Belgium and Australia. We are taking one match at a time,
Our team has shown tremendous growth and resilience in recent years. As we gear up for Paris 2024, we're focused on doing our best to change the colour of the medal, and represent India with pride,
he said before their opener