Sports Minister Anurag Thakur to felicitate Indian men's hockey team on Monday

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will felicitate the Indian men's hockey team on Monday as they return home after putting on a brilliant display at the Tokyo Olympics.

It took 41 years, but the dream of every Indian was finally realised on Thursday as the men's hockey team beat Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal here at the Oi Hockey Stadium -- North Pitch.

The Men in Blue showed absolute resilience, strength, and winning spirit to register a remarkable comeback win against a strong German team.

Skipper Manpreet Singh on Thursday dedicated the bronze medal win to all the COVID-19 warriors who have been working to save lives during the pandemic.

"And, now the long waiting dream has been fulfilled. This was a collective effort, from all the players, coaches and support staff. Their unrelenting backing has resulted in a positive outcome today. I dedicate this victory to the COVID warriors, who have been working relentlessly to save lives. This medal came after 41 long years and I'm confident that my team will continue to improve and perform better in the upcoming events also," Manpreet said in a statement on Twitter.

"At the end, a gratitude to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Ministry of Sports, Hockey India, SAI, 10A, Punjab Police for the constant support and motivation towards the National Hockey Team," he added.

Coach Graham Reid could not be more proud of his boys.

Reid posted a photo on Twitter alongside the entire hockey squad and he captioned the post as: "Pretty proud of these legends."