Despite losing 2-5 to Belgium in the men's hockey semifinal at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics, Team India received plenty of praise on Twitter for their valiant effort throughout the match. The scores were level at 2-2 until the final quarter, but Belgium scored three goals in the final 15 minutes of the contest to make it 5-2. The scoreline wasn't an actual reflection of the game considering the first three quarters were closely fought. Hockey India took to social media to hail Team India, and lauded their efforts. "You win some, you lose some. You have done us proud," the tweet read.
Indian tennis legend Mahesh Bhupathi urged fans to support the team for their bronze medal match. He wrote, "Tough loss.. it's going to take a lot of positivity, heart and belief to bounce back quickly and play a big match to win the bronze . So let's rally behind @TheHockeyIndia .. #common #RuknaNahiHai #Olympics".
Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh were the goalscorers for India. Meanwhile, Alexander Hendrickx scored a hat-trick for Belgium, with Loick Luypaert and John-John Dohmen scoring a goal each.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team and wished them luck for their future endeavours. "Wins and losses are a part of life. Our Men's Hockey Team at #Tokyo2020 gave their best and that is what counts. Wishing the Team the very best for the next match and their future endeavours. India is proud of our players", he tweeted.
Tushar Khandker, who represented the Indian men's hockey team at the 2012 Olympics, wrote, "For me you are all #Champions, the result is not on our side but the courage and efforts you all have put in and took Indian hockey from where it belongs @TheHockeyIndia #hockey #IndianHockeyTeam #Tokyo2020 #Cheer4Indiia #OlympicGames".
Here are the other reactions:
The Indian team will face Germany in their bronze medal match.