Dominant India beat Argentina 3-1 to seal QF berth in Olympic men's hockey
Tokyo, Jul 29: The Indian men's hockey team stormed into the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over defending champions Argentina, scoring two goals in the final two minutes of its penultimate pool match here on Thursday.
After goalless first two quarters, India broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute through Varun Kumar before Vivek Sagar Prasad (58th) and Harmanpreet Singh (59th) struck in the closing minutes of the match to seal the contest.
It was India's third win in Pool A at the Oi Hockey Stadium.
Argentina's lone goal came from a penalty corner conversion by Schuth Casella in the 48th minute.
By virtue of this win, India have consolidated their position in the second spot of Pool A with three wins and one loss out of four games, behind Australia.
Argentina are struggling at the fifth spot in the six-team pool and need to beat New Zealand in their final preliminary match on Friday to stay in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth.
The top-four make the last-eight stage from each group.
India will play hosts Japan in their final pool match on Friday.
The Indians were aggressive and put pressure on the Argentine defence from the very beginning, attacking in numbers.
India completely dominated the first quarter, mounting attacks after attacks but the Argentines defended stoutly to frustrate their opponents.
The Indians nonetheless dominated possession and penetrated the Argentine circle on numerous occasions but the final pass was missing.
Manpreet Singh's men had their first shot at the goal in the third minute.
But Dilpreet Singh's hit from close range from a Simranjeet Singh pass was nicely saved by Argentina goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi.
The midfield, led by Manpreet, played a great game in the first quarter which was evident from the circle penetration statistics. India had 16 against Argentine's two.
India were almost rewarded in the 27th minute when a diving Simranjeet's effort sailed over the post.
Two minutes later, Argentina had the first real scoring opportunity but Nahuel Salis' powerful shot from right corner of the circle was padded away by Sreejesh's outstretched hands.
It was a frustrating first half as both the teams failed to secure a single penalty corner to head into the breather goalless.
The script was similar in the third quarter as India continued to waste chances.
First Gurjant Singh missed from close range in the 35th minute and then Rupiner Pal Singh wasted back-to-back penalty corners minutes later.
Soon the Indians had their hearts in their mouth when the defence was caught off guard by Argentina but Matias Rey couldn't beat Sreejesh from a one-on-one situation.
It took India 43 minutes to break the deadlock through Varun who scored from the team's third penalty corner.
Seconds from the end of third quarter, India wasted four consecutive penalty corners as Argentina defended bravely.
It was even in the 48th minute when Casella scored Argentina's first penalty corner.
They had two more chances -- one from a field effort from Lucas Villa which was saved by Sreejesh and another from a penalty corner which Indians defended stoutly.
Two minutes from the hooter, Vivek restored India's lead tapping in from a rebound after Dilpreet's attempt was saved by Vivaldi and then in the nick of time Harmanpreet drew the final nail in Argentina's coffin by converting the team's eighth penalty corner.
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2nd phase of Bengal poll: 39.97 per cent polling till 11 am amid sporadic violence
Kolkata (PTI): Nearly 40 per cent of the 3.21 crore electors voted till 11 am of the second phase of polling in West Bengal amid sporadic violence, while tension gripped the Bhabanipur seat briefly as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari took swipes at one another in the same booth area.
Voters queued up from 7 am outside booths in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North and South 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman districts, which form Bengal's electoral and political core.
Of the total electorate eligible to vote in this phase, 1.57 crore are women, and 792 are third-gender.
Till 11 am, West Bengal recorded 39.97 per cent polling with Purba Bardhaman registering the highest turnout at 44.50 per cent, followed by Hooghly at 43.12 per cent and Nadia at 40.34 per cent.
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Howrah recorded 39.45 per cent polling, while North 24 Parganas registered 38.43 per cent. Kolkata North and Kolkata South recorded 38.39 per cent and 36.78 per cent turnout, respectively.
South 24 Parganas, a politically crucial district witnessing several high-profile contests, recorded 37.9 per cent voting.
The first phase of polls in 152 Assembly seats of West Bengal on April 23 also recorded more than 41 per cent polling till 11 am.
"Polling is underway peacefully, barring some minor incidents in certain areas. We have sought reports from the officials concerned," a poll panel official said.
The early-morning convergence of Banerjee and Adhikari at the same booth area in Chakraberia turned Bhabanipur -- the chief minister's electoral bastion -- into the centrepiece of the day, reinforcing the symbolic weight of their prestige battle seen as a rematch of Nandigram, where the BJP leader had defeated her in 2021.
Banerjee was already seated outside the booth after receiving complaints of alleged intimidation of local TMC leaders when Adhikari arrived there amid heavy deployment of central forces.
Stepping out of his car, Adhikari declared, "I will not allow any hooliganism", while Banerjee accused the BJP of trying to "rig" the election using central forces, police observers and election officials.
"BJP wants to rig this election. Polls in Bengal are usually peaceful. Is there goonda raj here?" Banerjee told reporters, alleging CRPF personnel had visited the homes of TMC leaders late Tuesday night and unleashed terror in the area.
She alleged that election observers were acting at the BJP's behest and claimed TMC workers were being selectively targeted across districts.
Adhikari dismissed the charges as signs of "frustration", claiming Banerjee had realised that "not a single vote" was coming her way.
Banerjee, who usually steps out of her Kalighat residence late in the day to cast her vote at Mitra Institution School, broke convention and hit the ground before 8 am, moving through Chetla, Padmapukur and Chakraberia, underlining the stakes attached to Bhabanipur and the wider battle for south Bengal.
Reports of violence, vandalism and tension surfaced from several districts.
In Nadia district's Chapra, a BJP polling agent was allegedly assaulted inside a booth during a mock poll. The BJP accused TMC supporters of attacking its agent, while the ruling party denied the charge. In Shantipur, a BJP camp office was found vandalised.
In South 24 Pargana's Bhangar, the ISF alleged that its polling agents were prevented from entering booths.
Howrah's Bally constituency saw tension at a booth in Liluah after an EVM malfunction delayed voting, prompting central forces to lathi-charge agitated voters. Two people were arrested in the matter.
Police and RAF personnel were also seen chasing away crowds near a booth in Amdanga following complaints of unlawful gathering by bike-borne supporters.
In Panihati, BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar victim, faced protests and her car was allegedly stopped by TMC workers, while in Jagaddal, the recovery of a firearm near a polling booth triggered tension before police and central forces restored order.
BJP candidate from Basanti assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas, Bikash Sardar, on Wednesday, alleged that "200-250 TMC goons" attacked his car and assaulted his driver when he was visiting polling booths in the constituency.
The TMC did not immediately respond to the allegations.
Unlike the first phase, where the BJP sought to defend its north Bengal gains, the final round has shifted the battle squarely to the TMC's strongest belt.
In 2021, the ruling party had won 123 of these 142 seats, leaving just 18 for the BJP and one for the ISF. For the BJP, breaching this southern fortress remains critical if it hopes to mount a serious challenge for power in the state.
