Highlights, India vs Japan Hockey Score Update, Women Hockey World Cup: India finish 9th after 3-1 victory

A sweet ending to a mixed campaign

FT: India 3-1 Japan

The hooter goes off one last time in Match 39 of the 2022 FIH Women’s World Cup as India pull off a convincing 3-1 victory over Japan to bring their campaign to a victorious end!

Though the Cherry Blossoms started off on a strong note and drew first blood, the Women in Blue maintained their composure and were able to put their opponents under pressure soon after with a series of counterattacks.

Navneet Kaur was especially impressive today as she scored two of the three Indian goals, the first one a penalty corner and the second one a field goal.

Q4: India 3-1 Japan

The Japanese push towards the Indian half one last time in the penultimate minute, and are able to enter the shooting area looking to collect their second. The alert Indian defence, though, is able to deflect the ball far away from themselves.

Q4: India 3-1 Japan

Just five more minutes to go for the final hooter of the game. Can the Cherry Blossoms pull a rabbit out of the hat in the business end of the fixture? Or will the Women in Blue hold on to their lead and finish the tournament in style? Stay tuned to find out

Q4: India 3-1 Japan

The Indians are dominating possession at the moment and are hardly giving the Japanese any room.

India forward Vandana Katariya, meanwhile, has a shy at the Cherry Blossoms goalpost, where Akio Tanaka has now replaced Eika Nakamura as the keeper and manages to deflect the ball off her pads.

Q3: India 3-1 Japan

GOAL! After coming close to a third strike just a minute ago, Navneet Kaur ensures India head into the final quarter with a two-goal cushion as she collects her second goal of the day, this one a field goal, just seconds before the hooter goes off!

The Women in Blue are starting to dominate the proceedings at the moment, and it will take an incredible effort from the Cherry Blossoms to turn things around in the final quarter!

Q3: India 2-1 Japan

India nearly collect their third in the dying minutes of the third quarter, with Sharmila Devi’s knees touching the goal line while trying to get the ball across in the 14th minute.

The referee takes this upstairs, and the TV referee decides to rule it in favour of the Japanese.

Q3: India 2-1 Japan

GOAL! India are ahead in the game for the first time, as Deep Grace Ikea’s inch-perfect strike in the eighth minute helps them convert a Penalty Corner for the second time today!

And like Navneet in the previous quarter, this happens to be Deep’s first strike of the ongoing tournament!

Q3: India 1-1 Japan

An ambitious strike at the Japanese goalpost in the fifth minute of the second half flies just wide! For a second, the Indians would’ve had serious hope of going ahead!

Q3: India 1-1 Japan

We’re into the second half of the match with both teams level at the moment, though India will be a little pumped up after their final-minute equaliser in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, a booking early in the quarter with Japan’s Nagai Yuri getting a green card in the first minute.

HT: India 1-1 Japan

INDIA EQUALISE! Navneet Kaur scores her first goal of the tournament with an ambitious shot from outside the circle as the Women in Blue draw level just 34 seconds before the halftime hooter is sounded!

That strike should do the morale of the Indian camp a world of good and they will be hoping the momentum translates to a second goal on the other side of the interval.

Q2: India 0-1 Japan

Another PC to the Indians with a little over three minutes left. The Indians certainly are attacking quite ruthlessly at the moment, and will be hoping to convert this one.

The PC continues a couple of more times, with the ball high over the goalpost in the third attempt following a deflection off an Indian stick.

Q2: India 0-1 Japan

The Indians, clearly under pressure now after conceding the lead to the Japanese, attempt to weave their wave past the opposition defenders but aren’t able to drag the ball past the well-knit unit.

They do, however, earn a PC with a little more than four minutes left in the quarter, but the shot’s wide as the ball flies to the goalkeeper’s right.

Q2: India 0-1 Japan

Penalty Corner to Japan in the fifth minute! Can they grab the lead in the second quarter with this opening?

JAPAN SCORE! Asai Yu absolutely clobbers the ball towards the Indian goalpost, where the ball deflects off keeper Savita’s body before hitting the roof of the net!

Q2: India 0-0 Japan

The second quarter’s underway, and India make early inroads into the Japanese defence from the word go! They certainly look a lot more pumped up this time around!

Q1: India 0-0 Japan

The first quarter ends on a goalless note, though both teams have created chances for themselves so far with the Women in Blue even earning a PC. Japan went on the offensive early on but it didn’t take India long to catch up. Meanwhile, India’s Jyoti became the first player to get a booking, getting a green card in the penultimate minute.

Q1: India 0-0 Japan

Japan’s Amiru Shimada goes for an ambitious shot at the Indian goalpost in the 12th minute, only for the ball to deflect off the stick of one of the Indian defenders. Still goalless at the moment with the quarter about to end.

Q1: India 0-0 Japan

Penalty Corner for the Indians in the eighth minute! Japanese goalkeeper Nakamura Eika though does well to keep the ball well past the goalpost. The Women in Blue though, are starting to ramp up the pressure now.

Q1: India 0-0 Japan

And play is underway in India’s final match of the campaign! And within the first five minutes of the opening quarter do we witness Japan making an entry into the Indian half and getting anxiously close to their goalpost.

And here’s Japan

Here’s the Indian starting XI

Goalkeeper and captain Savita Punia played a central role in guiding her team to their first victory of the ongoing Hockey World Cup as the Women in Blue held their nerve in the penalty shootout against Canada to win the encounter 1-1 (3-2).

Savita, who put up a scintillating show, made a total of six saves in the shootout, while Navneet Kaur, Sonika and Neha converted their chances to help India register their first win in the competition.