FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: 'Huge disappointment', Netizens react as India women's team fail to secure Paris berth

The India women’s hockey team on Friday failed to secure qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics following a 1-0 defeat to Japan in the bronze medal playoff game of the FIH Olympic Qualifiers in Ranchi. It was a goal from Kana Urata in the sixth minute of the contest that confirmed Japan’s ticket to France this summer. That meant Japan qualified for the Olympics along with Germany and USA from the Qualifiers competition, but for India, it ended in a heartbreak. India had begun their FIH Olympic Qualifiers campaign with a 0-1 loss to USA, but bounced back to New Zealand and Italy 3-1 and 5-1 respectively. On Thursday, however, India went down to Germany in the semi-finals in a penalty shootout, with the shootouts ending in a 4-3 scoreline in favour of the Germans. The match against Japan had provided the India women’s team the final chance to qualify for the Olympics. Here’s how the netizens reacted to India’s loss: