Time: 7:30pm
Rio de Janeiro: After registering India’s first victory since the 2004 Athens Olympics, the PR Sreejesh-led team will take on the reigning Olympic Champions Germany in a match that promises to be an exciting encounter on August 8, 2016.
Against Germany, India held their nerve at the FIH Champions Trophy where they had an early lead of 3-1 until the third quarter but a few defensive errors in the last quarter had forced a draw. It was an inspired performance by the Indian team though Germany was not playing its full squad in london.
The Olympic Games is different and India will have to go all-out, giving more than their 100 percent to get past Germany and stamp a victory.
He also insisted on going back and watching the video of the match against Ireland on Saturday to take learnings from the game and ensure the team is ready for the German side that beat Canada 6-2 in their opening game on Saturday.
However, India’s campaign against them did not go as planned in the recently held Six Nations Tournament in Valencia, Spain, where the team lost 0-4 to a full strength German squad.
India last won a match against Germany in the Olympics in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where the Indian team beat them 3-0 in the opening match.
Can India produce another historic win against GermansIJ Well, the Captain is optimistic. “Though we won narrowly against Ireland, the team is motivated as we have started on a winning note and have earned three points. We are pumped up and we always enjoy taking on big teams like Germany. I am sure we will put up a tough fight against them,” said Sreejesh.
The strong German squad comprises of five Olympic Gold medalists from london, and midfielder-turned-defender Moritz Fürste who is considered amongst the best players in the world.