Nousheen Naz stars as India beats Malaysia 2-1 in U-18 Asia Cup opener

India began their Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 campaign with a 2-1 win over Malaysia in Japan. Forward Nousheen Naz scored both goals, including a penalty corner strike, as India held firm in the second half to secure a winning start.

Hyderabad: The Indian women’s hockey team started their Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Malaysia in their opening Pool A match in Japan on Saturday.

India’s 15-year-old forward Nousheen Naz scored both the goals to secure three points for her team.

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After a goal-less first quarter, India ended the deadlock in the 19th minute of the match off a penalty corner, when Nousheen capitalized on an opportunity during a set-piece to place the ball into the net and give India a 1-0 lead.

Continuing her good form, Nousheen struck again in the second quarter. In the 28th minute, she beat the Malaysian goalkeeper with a sharp shot to double India’s lead to 2-0 before the hooter signalled half-time.

Malaysia looked to recover in the second half and eventually managed to cut India’s lead down to one goal in the 41st minute, as Nur Azli breached the Indian post to reduce the margin to 2-1.

The Indian defence kept the opposition from causing further damage in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

India created several scoring opportunities throughout the match and earned a total of 16 penalty corners. Nousheen was named ‘Player of the Match’ for her two goals, which proved to be the difference.

With this win, India are currently placed second in Pool A behind Korea. Both teams have three points each but are separated by goal difference.

India will play Korea in their next pool match on Sunday, May 31, 2026.