Ireland men’s Olympic hockey campaign was left hanging by a thread following a 2-0 defeat to India in Colombes.
In a match played out in conditions that favoured the powerhouse Asian nation, dangerman Harmanpreet Singh scored a first-half brace to consign the Green Machine to a third straight defeat.
Ireland had their chances. Mark Tumilty’s side summoned 13 sights on goal – nine from penalty corners – but failed to find a way past India’s star goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.
Harmanpreet had scored last-minute goals in both of India’s first two games. He had the first sight of goal within 90 seconds here, but his effort was snaffled out by No.1 Runner Matthew Nelson.
Harmanpreet made no mistake in the 11th minute, courtesy of an easier route to goal when the world No.5 side were awarded a penalty stroke after Shane O’Donoghue’s errant recovery tackle on Mandeep Singh.
“You have to want the ball, you have to mark your man,” assistant coach Neville Rothman was heard shouting at his side during an extended quarter break due to weather protocols.
Both sides were playing for the first time on Yves-du-Manoir’s second pitch, considered a bumpy and dry surface. It was, however, a wicked deflection off Kyle Walker’s stick which led to Ireland’s second, Harmanpreet’s initial corner forcing too much power for the stranded David Harte.
Ireland dominated the third quarter but just couldn’t make the vital touch. India slowed the pace in the fourth and Ireland’s afternoon was summed up when O’Donoghue’s late penalty corner strike produced a circle melee and cleared from danger.
Ireland were facing their former coach Craig Fulton, who took the Green Machine to third at the 2015 EuroHockey and the Rio Olympics.
Fulton’s nickname – Ned – stands for ‘Never Ending Dream’. Ireland now have two matches in which to salvage their own ambition of reaching the quarter-finals.
This was also a third defeat of their campaign against the Tokyo gold, silver and bronze medallists. Wins over Argentina and New Zealand are now pivotal if they are to achieve a top four berth and qualify for the knock-out stages.