India women miss out on U18 Hockey Asia Cup final after shootout loss to China

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Kakamigahara: After an intense 2-2 draw across four quarters, the Indian women’s hockey team suffered a 1-3 defeat in a penalty shootout against China in the semifinals of the U18 Asia Cup on Friday.

Nousheen Naz (3′) and Kiran Ekka (54′) found the net for India, while Li ZeYan (24′) and Zhang Yuzheng (48′) scored for China.

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India made a bright start in the first quarter, securing the opening goal in just the third minute. Captain Sweety Kujur played a brilliant pass from the midfield to Nousheen inside the circle, who unleashed a powerful back-handed shot into the net to give India an early lead. While both sides created promising opportunities inside the circle through strong midfield play, the opening quarter ended 1-1.

China were awarded a penalty corner in the 21st minute, but Feng Jiaxin’s drag-flick was beautifully saved by Indian goalkeeper Mahak Parihar. Three minutes later, however, China capitalised on an Indian defensive error, with Li ZeYan scoring a field goal to level the game.

The Indian backline showed great resilience early in the third quarter, denying China from a penalty corner in the 34th minute. Although China dominated possession in the ensuing minutes, they failed to break the deadlock.

In the 43rd minute, India received consecutive penalty corners but could not breach the Chinese defense. Despite multiple chances at both ends, the match remained tied at 1-1 heading into the final quarter.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, China took the lead through a penalty corner. Although India’s first rusher blocked the initial shot, the rebound fell to Zhang Yuzheng, who calmly finished to give her side a slim advantage.

However, China’s lead was short-lived. India’s Kiran converted a penalty corner in the 54th minute to equalise, keeping the score deadlocked at 2-2 at full-time and forcing a shootout.

China ultimately defeated India 3-1 in the shootout, courtesy of some brilliant saves by their goalkeeper, Liu Xue. Lu Tong Tong, Ge Chen, and Guo Jiaxin converted their chances for China, while Sandeepa Kumari was the only Indian player to find the back of the net.

The second women’s semifinal will feature Japan taking on Korea. India will face the loser of that match in the bronze medal playoff on June 6.