Hockey Women's Junior World Cup: India thrash Korea 3-1 in classification match

The Indian junior women’s hockey team registered a 3-1 victory against Korea in the 9th-12th place qualification match of the ongoing FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 in Santiago, Chile on Friday. Ropni Kumari (23’), Mumtaz Khan (44’), and Annu (46’) scored goals for India, while Jiyun Choi (19’) was the lone goal scorer for Korea. Both sides fought hard in the first quarter, hoping to gain an early advantage. Korea dominated possession and earned the opening penalty corner, but they were unable to capitalise. India, choosing for counter-attacks, kept Korea’s defenders busy but were unable to convert their promising entries, resulting in a goalless tie at the end of the quarter. The second quarter maintained the intensity of the first, with India and Korea continuing to attack. Korea’s Jiyun Choi (19’) broke the deadlock with a fine penalty corner strike, but India quickly answered with Ropni Kumari (23’), who equalised from another penalty corner. Korea increased their aggression in order to retake the lead. Despite their best attempts, India’s strong defence blocked Korea’s attacks and skillfully counter-attacked, putting pressure on Korea’s defensive line. However, no additional goals were scored in the second quarter, and both sides went into the halftime break tied at 1-1. In the third quarter, India dominated the proceedings by maintaining ball possession and consistently challenging Korea’s defenders, and the approach paid off when Mumtaz Khan (44’) beautifully tucked the ball home on a penalty corner to give her team a well-deserved lead. The last quarter concluded 2-1 in India’s favour. Riding high on confidence after taking the lead, India intensified their attacks and extended their lead early in the fourth and final quarter of the game as Annu (46’) netted a superb field goal, securing a two-goal advantage for her team. India, despite being ahead, continued to unsettle Korea’s defence, maintaining their momentum and denying any chance of a comeback as the match culminated in a 3-1 victory for India. The victory means that India, who had earlier bowed out of the title contention after finishing third in the Pool C, will stand a chance to finish ninth in the tournament when they take on either Chile or USA in their last match of the competition on Sunday.