Indian Women team enters to Asian Games final

A resilient Indian Women’s Hockey Team advanced to the Final of the 18th Asian Games Jakarta-Palembang 2018 as they defeated World No. 11 China 1-0 in their Semi-Final match of the competition played here today at the Gelora Bung Karno Hockey Field. The win which was inspired by Gurjit Kaur’s goal in the 52nd minute, meant that the Indian team qualified for the Final of the Asian Games for the first time since 1998.

The Indian team had the opening chance of the match as Vandana Katariya and Navneet Kaur combined inside the striking circle but could not create a goal as China defended well. In the 8th minute, Navneet Kaur won India their first Penalty Corner which was taken by Gurjit Kaur but her shot was deflected away by the first Chinese rusher. India looked to have the upper hand in the first quarter and had another chance in the 13th minute as Monika’s pass from the right flank was converted into a shot by Navjot Kaur, but the Chinese Goalkeeper Jiao Ye managed to clear the ball away as the scores remained 0-0 after the first period.

The start of the second quarter saw China produce some slick passing in the Indian striking circle which won them their first PC in the 18th minute but the resulting drag-flick was hit wide of the post. China tried to create chances in the next few minutes but the Indian defence made sure that they eliminated the threat. The Chinese team tried to keep more possession as they grew into the match, but the World No. 9 Indian team made sure that they pressed their opponents to win back possession. The second quarter was a period of few chances for both the teams which meant that the scores remained level at 0-0 as the hooter signaled for the half-time break.