{"id":287776,"date":"2025-04-22T17:01:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T17:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/paris-olympics-hockey-abhisheks-half-turn-goal-ends-half-a-century-of-hurt-as-australia-overturned\/"},"modified":"2025-04-22T17:01:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T17:01:04","slug":"paris-olympics-hockey-abhisheks-half-turn-goal-ends-half-a-century-of-hurt-as-australia-overturned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/paris-olympics-hockey-abhisheks-half-turn-goal-ends-half-a-century-of-hurt-as-australia-overturned\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics, hockey: Abhishek\u2019s half-turn goal ends half a century of hurt as Australia overturned"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Paris<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

\n

First, it was against Belgium. Indian forward Abhishek stole the ball high up the pitch after a defender\u2019s miscontrol, ran into the box, steadied himself to find some space with his back facing the goal, and unleashed a shot. It was so powerful that a goalkeeper as good as Vincent Vanasch didn\u2019t see it go past him.<\/p>\n

Then, it was against Australia. After Lalit Upadhyay\u2019s shot was parried by Andrew Charter into Abhishek\u2019s path. The 24-year-old from Sonepat once again had his back towards the Australian goal, before unleashing a shot on the half-turn. Charter too was beaten, low to his right this time and from a tight angle. It was the opening goal of a famous win for the Indian men\u2019s hockey team as they went on to beat Australia for the first time at the Olympic Games since 1972.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

And it was a reward not just for Abhishek\u2019s endeavours, but also India\u2019s planning for Paris 2024.<\/p>\n

\n

A long-awaited win against Australia! \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc\ud83e\udee1<\/p>\n

Our boys delivered one of their best attacking performances of the tournament.<\/p>\n

After 52 years, we finally triumphed over Australia at the Olympics! This five-goal thriller was worth the wait. Harmanpreet Singh and Abhishek\u2019s goals,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/J1oTHuI8t2<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Earlier this year, Craig Fulton had identified one key area where the Indian forwards could improve. After the Pro League leg in India, where India had the chance to play top teams like the Netherlands and Australia, it was evident that they needed more attacking contributions from their forwards. Harmanpreet Singh is great at what he does, scoring consistently from penalty corner situations. But Fulton said outcomes inside the circle had to improve, and for that, Indian strikers must get into the habit of taking shots on the turn while having their back to the the opponents\u2019 goal.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cA lot of the time Indian players like to face the goal to score goals while a lot of the Europeans don\u2019t face the goal to take shots. They have their back towards the goal and they\u2019re hitting through the defender. It\u2019s very difficult to defend,\u201d the 49-year-old had told The Indian Express<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to obviously improve both sides of this, where you can still be able to get in the \u2018D\u2019 and get your shot away. Or you connect with another striker, not with a shot but with a pass. The closer you get to the goal the less time you have to score. So you\u2019re not necessarily looking for a big backswing, a big hit. It\u2019s all flicking and pushing. And double movements like 1v1 against the goalkeeper. The kind of moves where your back is towards the goal, but you\u2019re still able to twist and turn to try and find the target. This takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The last time the Indian Hockey team beat Australia at the Olympics was 5\ufe0f\u20e32\ufe0f\u20e3 years ago! \ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n

Catch all the action from #Paris2024<\/a> on #Sports18<\/a>, plus stream for FREE on #JioCinema<\/a>! \ud83d\udc48#OlympicsOnJioCinema<\/a> #OlympicsOnSports18<\/a> #JioCinemaSports<\/a> #Cheer4Bharat<\/a> #Hockey<\/a> #Olympics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZAzc6gJh6c<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 JioCinema (@JioCinema) August 2, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Abhishek has delivered just what Fulton was hoping for. India still perhaps don\u2019t score enough field goals, and Harmanpreet is once again shouldering the burden for finding the net predominantly, but against two top quality opponents like Belgium and Australia, Abhishek has come to the party.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all believe that Abhishek is one of the best players in our team and is very talented. Whenever you score, your confidence goes up. I said this after the Belgium match as well that it\u2019s a good sign he\u2019s scoring and helping the team lead,\u201d Harmanpreet told JioCinema after the win against Australia.<\/p>\n