The race for the men’s hockey gold medal intensifies on Sunday 4 August as the magnificent Yves-du-Manoir Stadium hosts the Paris 2024 Olympic quarter-finals.
Fascinatingly, the men’s quarter-final line up is identical to that seen three years ago at Tokyo 2020, with India playing Great Britain, Belgium meeting Spain, the Netherlands taking on Australia and Germany doing battle with Argentina. We look ahead to a potentially thrilling day of knock-out action in Paris.
India v Great Britain – 10:00 CEST
Lead by inspirational captain Harmanpreet Singh, eight times Olympic champions India have been outstanding at Paris 2024. Wins against New Zealand, Ireland and Australia – their first Olympic win against the Kookaburras since Munich 1972 – earned them a second-place finish in Pool B. India’s only defeat came at the hands of reigning Olympic champions and pool winners Belgium, a match in which they could easily have come away with a share of the spoils.
While India have been exceptional, Great Britain’s form has been equally eye-catching. After thrashing Spain 4-0 in their opening Pool A match, GB fought back from losing positions against South Africa, the Netherlands and France to seal qualification before pool winners Germany edged them in their final match. The quarter-final between the two sides at Tokyo 2020 was won by India, who took a 3-1 victory before going on to take the bronze medal.
Belgium v Spain – 12:30 CEST
After dominating Pool B, reigning Olympic champions Belgium have been marked as the team to beat here in Paris. Following narrow wins against Ireland and New Zealand, the team hit devastating form with a 6-2 win over Australia before beating India to effectively top the standings, a position confirmed by a 3-3 draw with Argentina.
While Belgium will take some stopping, Spain have also shown in Paris that they are capable of mixing it with the very best. A fourth place finish in Pool A does not do justice to their performances, the highlight being a 2-0 triumph over world champions Germany. At Tokyo 2020, Alexander Hendrickx (2) and Tom Boon helped Belgium’s Red Lions to a 3-1 quarter-final win over the Red Sticks on their way to winning their first ever Olympic gold medal in hockey.
Netherlands v Australia – 17:30 CEST
After convincing Pool A wins against South Africa and France, two-time Olympic champions the Netherlands dropped five points from their next six by drawing with Great Britain before falling to defeat against Germany. However, the European champions ended the pool phase in thrilling fashion, fighting back from 2-0 down to secure a 5-3 victory against Spain, confirming a second-place finish in the Pool B standings.
Despite finishing third in Pool A, the Kookaburras are always a dangerous animal in knock-out hockey. While much of the focus has been on their defeats against Belgium and India, it is worth remembering that the Tokyo 2020 silver medallists actually won three of their five pool matches, defeating Argentina, Ireland and Oceania rivals New Zealand. They also have the tournament top scorer amongst their ranks, with Blake Govers having netted seven times in five matches. Australia emerged as winners of the Tokyo 2020 quarter-final, beating the Netherlands in a shoot-out 3-0 after the regular time finished with the scores locked at 2-2.
Germany v Argentina – 20:00 CEST
As reigning world champions, Germany were always going to be seen as genuine medal contenders here in Paris, a fact proven by finishing top of Pool A. Die Honamas recorded wins over France, South Africa, the Netherlands and Great Britain to top the standings, with a 2-0 defeat against inspired Spain in their second match being their only blip. They are the joint highest scorers with 16 goals (tied with the Netherlands) and have the joint best defensive record, having conceded just six.
Interestingly, the team that Germany share their defensive record is Argentina, who will no doubt prove stubborn opponents in this quarter-final clash. Despite finishing fourth in Pool B, Los Leones have lost just once here in Paris, going down to Australia in the opening match but defeating New Zealand and Ireland while claiming superb draws against India and Belgium. The presence of Gonzalo Peillat – who fired Argentina to Olympic glory at Rio 2016 – in the Germany line-up certainly adds extra spice to the occasion.
The Tokyo 2020 quarter-final meeting between Germany and Argentina ended with a 3-1 victory for the Europeans. It will be fascinating to see how this and all of the quarter-final matches play out here at Paris 2024.
The hockey competitions at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Both the men’s and women’s competitions feature 12 teams, split into two pools of six ahead of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For more information about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, visit Olympics.Hockey.
Men’s Quarter-Finals – Sunday 4 August 2024 (all times CEST)
10:00: India v Great Britain – Match 2
12:30: Belgium v Spain – Match 4
17:30: Netherlands v Australia – Match 3
20:00: Germany v Argentina – Match 1
Semi-finals – Tuesday 6 August 2024 (times TBC)
Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2
Winner Match 3 v Winner Match 4
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