After battling former champions, overcoming minnows and understanding their own depth, the Indian women’s hockey team on Wednesday booked its ticket to the Asian Games gold medal match with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over South Korea at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. And there it is!
China survived a scare, beating Japan 4-2 in a shootout after the regulation period ended goalless earlier in the day. Now, a massive test awaits on Friday against Paris Olympics silver medallists China who are the undisputed heavyweights of Asian hockey at world No.4. But their 2-2 draw at the World Cup in August and their unbeaten streak at the Asian Games will give India some real confidence heading into the gold medal match.
Following a match defined by relentless Indian pressure and some heroic South Korean defending, India will now face the formidable Chinese in Friday’s final. Yet, for all of India’s dominance, the South Korean defence refused to buckle. Playing with their hearts, feet and sticks, they put their bodies on the line to keep the game scoreless. Whenever India seemed poised to break the deadlock, South Korea found an answer.
It was a perfectly crafted goal that finally broke the South Korean resistance and gave India a crucial 1-0 lead. Down 0-2, South Korea threw everything forward in the dying stages. The second half began on a much more cautious note. India appeared to lose the overwhelming momentum they held in the first two quarters, and the game settled into a tense but tactical rhythm. But just as conventional methods seemed to be failing against the South Korean wall, coach Sjoerd Marijne’s side unlocked the defence with a moment of pure brilliance in the 44th minute. With the South Korean defence and goalkeeper Lee completely wrong-footed, Ishika coolly slotted the ball into a gaping net. Goalkeeper Lee continued her spectacular display, producing lightning-fast reflexes to wade away a fierce strike from Lalremsiami with her left hand, preventing a third Indian goal. They earned a flurry of PCs with just two minutes left on the clock, but the Indian defence stood stout, absorbing the pressure and ensuring a clean sheet for the second game in a row.
