FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024: India women lose to Germany in semis; to face Japan for Paris 2024 berth
After the match was tied at 2-2 after regulation time, India lost the shootout 3-4. The Indian women’s hockey team will play Japan next for the bronze medal on Friday.
Hockey
The Indian women’s hockey team lost to Germany in the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 semi-finals after a thrilling shootout at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi on Thursday.
Deepika (15’) gave India the lead but Charlotte Stapenhorst (27’, 57’) scored for Germany. Ishika Chaudhary (59’), however, scored a late equaliser to make the scoreline 2-2 and forced a shootout, which the Germans won 4-3.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Indian women’s hockey team will still have another chance of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics when they face Japan, who lost the other semis against the USA, in the bronze medal match on Friday. A win in the match will earn India a ticket to the upcoming Summer Games.
The top three hockey teams from the eight-nation tournament earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics, which will be held in France in July and August this year. USA and Germany have already sealed their spots.
Germany, the best-ranked team in the tournament at world No. 5, were the early aggressors and looked more menacing going forward. The Indian defence, led by captain Savita Punia in goal, however, remained solid and successfully thwarted the German advances, including two penalty corners.
World No. 6 India slowly began getting a foothold in the contest towards the end of the first quarter, with most of their attacks coming down the left flank.
The hosts won their first penalty corner with just one minute left in the first quarter and Deepika made full use of it, burying a powerful drive past German goalie Julia Sonntag, much to the delight of a packed crowd in Ranchi, which included Indian cricket legend MS Dhoni.
Lifted by the goal, India looked a lot more threatening in the second quarter. However, it was the Germans who found the goal. An exceptional turn by Charlotte Stapenhorst carved open the Indian defence and the German forward followed up with a cheeky lobbed finish to draw her team level before half-time.
With everything to play for in the second half, the match ebbed and flowed, with both teams enjoying phases of possession. Despite some close calls, though, both defences held strong as the third quarter ended with the score reading 1-1.
In the final quarter, both teams went for it, producing end-to-end hockey. Both teams came close to scoring but the goalkeepers made some crucial saves.
It was India who blinked and Charlotte Stapenhorst unlocked the door with another brilliant piece of action, a steal this time. Having dispossessed an Indian defender during a crucial juncture, the German forward drove inside the circle and rifled a powerful hit past Savita.
The home team, egged on by the crowd, however, hit right back. With the seconds ticking away, India won back-to-back penalty corners and made the second count as Ishika Chaudhary found the last-gasp equaliser to take the game into a shootout.
In what was a dramatic shootout, Savita Punia made three brilliant saves but the Indian shooters squandered a 3-1 lead to lose 3-4 in sudden death.