Tokyo Olympics: Manpreet Singh terms India's 7-1 loss to Australia a 'wake-up call'

India men's hockey captain Manpreet Singh has stated that the defeat against Australia was a wake-up call for the team at the ongoing Tokyo Olympics and they are now focusing on one match at a time.

The Indian team got the better of the reigning gold medalists Argentina 3-1 in their Tokyo Olympics group match on Thursday. By the virtue of this win, the Indian men's hockey team have booked a quarterfinal berth with one match still left to be played.

Tokyo Olympics: Captain Manpreet Singh recalls bitter defeat against Australia

"Tournament is not over. We have a match against Japan tomorrow and there is so much left. We will not be thinking about how we defeated defending Olympic champions tomorrow. We all played well and dominated the first three quarters but still, we missed our chances. Our defence did good and we will carry this further in the tournament and will focus on tomorrow's match," Manpreet told reporters after the match.

"We created a lot of opportunities and we will work on our last pass. In the quarter-finals and match against Japan will be difficult because they will be a good team and they will not give us easy chances," he added.

Talking about receiving that brutal thrashing of 7-1 from Australia in the pool game, Manpreet pointed, "That was a wake-up call for us. We were very disappointed and we focused on our next matches."

India vs Argentina: Manpreet & Co. outclass Argentina in dying minutes

This was India's penultimate clash of the group stages and they had to make it count in all ways possible in order to keep their last eight hopes alive. Both teams kept each other at bay in the first quarter as no one could succeed in finding the back of the net. The scoreline read 0-0 at halftime as well.

Meanwhile, there were some exceptional saves from both goalies in the third quarter but, it was India who broke the deadlock by converting a penalty corner. It was Varun Kumar who drew the first blood for India. Just when it appeared that the current fourth-ranked side might go into the final quarter with the lead, Argentina scored the equaliser and a thrilling final set was on the cards. 
Nonetheless, it was India who gained the upper hand and turned the tables on Argentina in the dying minutes of the contest. Vivek Sagar and Harmanpreet Singh found the back of the net as India secured a Q/F berth. They will either face Great Britain or the Netherlands in the quarters.

Meanwhile, the Manpreet Singh-led side will be up against Asian rivals Japan in their final men's hockey group match on Friday. 

(With ANI Inputs)