In a scrappy match that saw each team apparently flustered with nerves, resulting in a plethora of collisions and ball-to-body contact, Harmanpreet Singh proved to be India's hero once more, striking twice to lead the Men in Blue to their second consecutive Olympic bronze.
With eight gold and 12 total Olympic medals, India stands as the most storied Olympic field hockey program and most decorated country in either the men's or women's tournament. After a 41-year-long drought, the Men in Blue made their return to the podium with a bronze in Tokyo, bringing high hopes of a return to the top in Paris.
Spain, on the other hand, entered the knockout round as the lowest-ranked team in the quarterfinals, standing in the eighth slot in world rankings. With an average age of 24, the Redsticks were also the youngest team in the tournament. But it was Spain that struck first.
Two minutes into the second frame, Marc Miralles rifled a penalty stroke into the top right corner of the net for his second converted penalty of the tournament.
Then came Harmanpreet, who scored on a last-second penalty corner to tie the game as the first half came to a close. He'd do it again to open the third quarter, giving India a 2-1 lead. The three-time Olympian's tournament-leading ninth and tenth tallies marked his second game-tying goal and third game-winning goal of the Olympics.
Spain found the back of the net again on a penalty corner midway through the third, but the point was overturned due to the ball's contact with a player's side that, according to the referee, influenced Spain's ability to score. The Redsticks pulled their goalie with three and a half minutes left in the final frame in a desperate attempt to level the score, but even with a penalty corner in the last 30 seconds, they were unable to force a shootout.
"Boys, we stay humble, okay?" India head coach Craig Fulton told his team after the win. "You deserved that win. We had a plan, we stuck to it."