India seal men's hockey quarter-finals spot at Tokyo Olympics after 3-1 win over Argentina

Varun Kumar, Vivek Prasad, and Harmanpreet Singh scored as a dominant India beat Olympic champions Argentina 3-1 and sealed a spot for themselves in the top two of their group. The Indian men's hockey team stormed into the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games with a victory over defending champions Argentina, scoring two goals in the final two minutes of its penultimate pool match here on Thursday.

India now has nine points in three games. They have a five-point lead over third-placed Spain with just one game left to play in the group. India dominated possession throughout the first half, although chances came at a premium for both sides. India had 16 circle penetrations in the first two quarters, as compared to Argentina's two.

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 has consolidated their position in the second spot of Pool A with three wins and one loss out of four games, behind Australia. Argentina is struggling at the fifth spot in the six-team pool and needs to beat New Zealand in their final preliminary match on Friday to stay in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth.

Only the top four teams from each group will head to the quarter-finals. India will play their final group match against hosts Japan on Friday.