India eves go down fighting to Japan
Indian women's hockey team showed solid fighting spirit but it was not enough as it went down 3-4 to Japan in the Girls U-18 Asia Cup at Bangkok on Friday.
Indian women's hockey team showed solid fighting spirit but it was not enough as it went down 3-4 to Japan in the Girls U-18 Asia Cup at Bangkok on Friday.
India managed to get the scoring underway through a Navjot Kaur strike in the second minute. Japan managed to get on level footing seventeen minutes later through Minami Shimuzu and ended the first half with another goal in the 31st minute.
Even as the rains looked to force both teams to adopt a cautious strategy, Japan managed to increase the lead when Ozeki went past the Indian goalkeeper - Bigan Soy - in the 48th minute.
Forwards Poonam Rani and Anupa Barla helped India get revenge three minutes later and from here on, the team kept the attack on the Japanese half. Success though could not be achieved in terms of actual conversions.
India will now play Korea for the bronze medal while Japan will lock horns with China.