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Britain’s men were left to rue a major missed opportunity after losing in the Olympic quarter-finals to 10-man India on a penalty shoot-out.
Britain have not won a medal in men’s hockey since taking gold in 1988 but went into this competition with high hopes and dominated the contest at Yves-du-Manoir Stadium after Amit Rohidas was sent off early in the second quarter for catching Will Calman in the face with his stick.
But the game ended 1-1 after 60 minutes and India, who also defeated Britain at the same stage in Tokyo, were flawless in a 4-2 victory in the shoot-out, while Conor Williamson and Phil Roper could not convert.
Devastated captain David Ames said: “That is going to hurt for a long time. They were down to 10 men for 40 minutes or so and it was pretty much domination in terms of the ball and everything we had possession-wise.
“If we’re honest, we haven’t been as clinical as we want to be and as clinical as we need to be to stand on podiums. Credit to India, they defended well, they have got an incredible goalkeeper, but it was a massive opportunity lost.”
India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was the key man for his team, making a number of crucial saves during the match and then keeping out Roper’s penalty to clinch victory.
Britain, who lost only one of their pool matches, dominated the early possession before India came into it late in the first quarter, with both keepers making saves.
Only two minutes of the second quarter had elapsed when Rohidas was shown red, a rare occurrence in elite hockey, after a video review.
India still took the lead, Harmanpreet Singh showing why he is the competition’s leading scorer with a fierce strike from a penalty corner, but Lee Morton equalised from close range before half-time.
The second half was virtually all Britain but they could not find a way past Sreejesh, who made two brilliant saves to deny Calnan, while Rupert Shipperley hit a post.
There was a minor controversy during the shootout when Britain goalkeeper Ollie Payne was stopped from looking at an iPad with notes on by officials.
Head coach Paul Revington did not believe it affected the result, though, saying: “An iPad in the modern world is like a piece of paper. I presume the officials have panicked a little bit. I’m not sure why. But it’s no excuse.”
Ames, 35, had to fight back tears when asked about his future in the sport.
“I’ve given a hell of a lot,” he said. “I made my debut in 2008, which feels like a hell of a long time ago. I’ve put every part of my body through hell to be standing here every day. Maybe the time will come that this is the last one but the coaching staff will help me decide that.”
Britain’s women, who have won a medal at the last three Games, are in quarter-final action on Monday but are clear second favourites against the Netherlands.
