Sam lane

Paris Olympic Games: What a breathtaking start to hockey for India as the men's side registered a stunning 3-2 win over tough opponent New Zealand in a Pool B match at the Paris 2024 Olympics, here on Saturday. Mandeep Singh (24'), Vivek Sagar Prasad (34'), and Harmanpreet Singh (59'-pen) were the goal scorers for India while Sam Lane and Simon Child scored for the Black Sticks.

The never-say-die mentality of the Men in Blue was on full display on Saturday as they bounced back twice in the 60-minute encounter to stay in the hunt for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The start was enthralling, playing in front of a packed audience at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium. India looked dominant in the opening quarter, controlled the ball possession, and came up with bursts of attack led by Olympic debutant Abhishek creating all sorts of problems for New Zealand early in the game. He even came up with a fantastic shot on goal, but New Zealand goalie Dominic Dixon made a strong save.