Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 hockey: India set up final vs China after beating gritty Japan in semis
Japan held out for three quarters before Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiami scored goals for India. The Indian women’s hockey team will play China in the final on Wednesday.
Hockey
The Indian hockey team marched into the final of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 after edging out Japan by a 2-0 scoreline at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar on Tuesday.
Navneet Kaur (48’) scored the first goal for the Indian women’s hockey team from a penalty stroke before Lalremsiami (56’) added to the scoreline.
The result means India will defend their Asian Champions Trophy title on Wednesday against the People’s Republic of China, who made the final after beating Malaysia 3-1 in the other semi-final clash.
India, ninth in the hockey rankings, had made the semi-finals by topping the league stage standings with a perfect record in their five matches. The run included a 3-0 victory over China.
World No. 11 Japan, who lost their final pool game to India 3-0, came out with a clear goal - not to concede. While the home team relentlessly pushed for a goal, the visitors seemed content getting the numbers behind the ball.
The crowded penalty circle made things difficult for India to break through and to make it worse, Japanese goalkeeper Yu Kudo seemed near unbreachable between the sticks.
To reiterate, the Indian women won nine penalty corners in the first-half itself and five more in the third quarter alone, but failed to take the lead.
India, however, finally managed to break through in the final quarter. Junon Kawai’s heavy tackle on Deepika saw the referee award a penalty stroke to India, which was upheld despite the Japanese team taking a referral.
Navneet Kaur, who had broken the deadlock against Japan on Monday, stepped up and just about beat Kudo, who had kept out Deepika’s penalty stroke, India’s 13th of the match, seconds earlier.
The goal opened the game up and India capitalised. With less than five minutes left on the clock, Lalremsiami made the scoreline 2-0 as she tapped in a Sunelita Toppo’s pass from open play.
Japan’s only penalty corner of the match and goalscoring opportunity of note came with less than two minutes left. However, Indian custodian Bichu Devi Kharibam with a little help from the defenders ensured India protected their clean sheet - the fourth on the trot in the competition.