India women make Tokyo Olympics hockey quarter-finals, end group with win over South Africa

Vandana Katariya became the first Indian women's hockey player to score a hat-trick at the Olympics. India will play Australia in the quarter-finals. 

4 minBy Ritu Sejwal
India women hockey vs South Africa Tokyo Olympics
(WORLDSPORTPICS.COM/FRANK UIJLENBROEK)

The Indian women’s hockey team beat South Africa 4-3 in a must-win Tokyo Olympics Pool A group match at the Oi Hockey Stadium on Saturday and made the cut for the quarter-finals.

With the result, India sealed fourth place in the pool standings with six points behind leaders the Netherlands (12 points), Germany (12 points) and Great Britain (nine points). Ireland finished fifth with three points and South Africa last, failing to score.

The top four teams from each of the two pools advance to the quarter-finals.

After winning their last two matches in the group, India’s hopes of making the quarter-final rested on the outcome of the last Pool A group match between Great Britain and Ireland.

Ireland’s win would have bumped India down to fifth in the standings. Instead Ireland lost 2-0 to Great Britain.

Against South Africa, Vandana Katariya steered her team to victory by becoming the first Indian woman to score a hat-trick at the Olympics. She sounded the board in the fourth, 17th and 49th minutes. Neha scored in the 32nd.

Tarryn Glasby (15th minute), captain Erin Hunter (30th minute) and Marizen Marais (39th minute) scored for the South Africans to keep in play in the high-scoring match.

The Indian women started from the first whistle as captain Rani Rampal led the attack from the right flank and earned their first penalty in the opening minute but South African goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande was up to the task.

The Indians continued to build early pressure and a successful video referral earned their second penalty in just the second minute but drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur missed.

India got their first breakthrough when Navneet Kaur built an attack from the right and Vandana Katariya gave her the finishing touch to get a 1-0 lead.

India went on the backfoot as South Africa’s attacking intent continued. Captain Erin Hunter took a long shot and Tarryn Glasby’s soft touch in the circle got the team an equaliser.

The Indian women’s hockey team bounced back with its third penalty in the 17th minute, Deep Grace Ekka’s variation was successfully deflected by Vandana Katariya to lead 2-1.

Interestingly, this was India’s 26th penalty corner of the tournament with only two successful conversions.

South Africa came close to an immediate response with Lilian du Plessis missing a shot. India, then, responded with two penalty corners in the 21st and 22nd minute, and Neha’s attack in the 23rd minute, all denied by the South African keeper.

South Africa, who trailed and later equalised in the concluding minute of the first quarter, attacked in a similar fashion to get a penalty corner in the 30th minute. Erin Hunter ensured an equaliser at 2-2.

After the half-time break, India gave away its early lead as South Africa capitalised in the concluding minutes owing to openings in Indian defence.

In the third quarter, Neha led the Indian attack from the left and earned a penalty corner. A variation from Rani Rampal to Neha was rightly deflected for a 3-2 lead in the 32nd minute.

South Africa bounced back yet again when Marizen Marais breached the Indian defence and goalkeeper Savita Punia in the 39th minute to tie 3-3.

The final 15 minutes were a do-or-die for India to have a realistic shot at the quarter-finals and three successive penalty corners by South Africa only added to the pressure. The shots were saved.

India responded with two successive penalty corners in the 49th minute with Vandana Katariya getting a close-range deflection right for 4-3 for her hat-trick.

Three minutes before the final hooter, India had their chance via penalty corner but South Africans countered to earn a penalty instead. The South African hopes of another equaliser were dashed with a successful video referral from India in the 58th minute.

India will play Australia in the Tokyo Olympics hockey quarter-final on Monday.