Indian hockey team’s entry in the final of Asian Champions Trophy, will compete with this team for the title.
Indian Hockey Team vs Japan
In the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, the Indian hockey team has entered the final by defeating Japan 2-0 in the semi-finals. Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiami scored goals for India and played an important role in taking the team to the final. India will face China in the final. China defeated Malaysia 3–1 in the semi-finals. In the India vs Japan match, no team was able to score a goal for the first three quarters.
India gave up 16 penalty corners
In the second minute of the fourth quarter, India got a penalty stroke when Deepika was obstructed by a Japanese defender, which Navneet easily converted. Five minutes before the final whistle, Lalremsiami electrified the crowd gathered at the Bihar Sports Complex stadium by converting a precise pass from the right flank from Sunelita. Japan got the only penalty corner of the match in the 59th minute, which Indian goalkeeper Bichu Devi did not allow to convert. India got 16 penalty corners in the entire match but could not convert even one and this will be a cause of concern for coach Harendra Singh before the final against China on Sunday.
India had created chances to score goals in the beginning itself.
Indian women players kept the ball under their control most of the time and maintained control over the match. India created many chances to score in the beginning of the match, but were not successful in scoring in the first three quarters. Captain Salima Tete had a golden opportunity in the tenth minute but she could not catch the ball from the left flank. In the next minute, India got its first penalty corner, which Deepika, who has scored ten goals in this tournament, could not convert.
Neha Goyal showed a strong game
In the second quarter, India got three consecutive penalty corners in the 18th and 19th minutes, but Japan’s goalkeeper Yu Kudo must be praised for saving every fast-paced shot. India’s experienced midfielder Neha Goyal played brilliantly, taking the ball inside the circle several times and also created penalty corners. They gave India their sixth penalty corner in the 20th minute, on which Deepika’s first shot was weak and even Neha could not get the ball inside on the rebound. Next minute, India got another penalty corner and Deepika again failed.
(Input: PTI)
