India vs Ghana Highlights, Commonwealth Games: India start with 5-0 win in opener

Match statistics

INDIA WIN 5-0

India start their Commonwealth Games campaign with a 5-0 win over Ghana. Brace from Gurjit Kaur alongside goals from Neha, Sangita Kumari and Salima Tete. India could have, and should have, had more goals to their name. But this is something to build on for them. Bigger and tougher challenges await this Indian team

GOAL!

Neha plays the ball into the path of Salima Tete who has a shot on goal. There is plenty on it and the attempt to block it doesn’t come off. India make it five!

INJURY CONCERN

WOW! Ghana’s Sulemana, without any protective gear, rushes to block a Gurjit Kaur penalty corner and gets struck on the chin. The medics take a look at her and she’s taken off the pitch but it is a joke that such a practice is allowed in the first place

PENALTY CORNER INDIA!

Vandana strides into the Ghana D but is blocked on her way through. The ball is lifted up, smacks her on the side of the face. India have a penalty corner as a result. From it, India get a shot but it is saved and deflected away to safety

End of third quarter

India lead Ghana 4-0 after the third quarter. Gurjit Kaur has a brace alongside goals from Neha and Sangita Kumari. India have had chances to post a bigger score but they’ve not been ruthless. Far from it in fact.

PENALTY STROKE! GOAL!

4-0 India! Amoako is adjudged to have brought an Indian player down. That did look clumsy. Gurjit Kaur steps up and slaps the ball low and to the right of the goalkeeper. Not necessarily in the corner but had enough venom on it to beat the goalie’s foot.

GOAL!

THREE FOR INDIA! Lovely play from India down the left flank. Run down the left wing, Monika then runs down the Ghana goal, and passes it into the path of an unmarked Sangita who directs the ball into the empty goal

India 2-0 Ghana

Ghana are doing brilliantly to run down the Indian attack during PCs. Twice India have won a penalty corner and twice Ghana players have been sensationally quick to block the shot. To be specific, Sulemana has been at the heart of this. The first of such blocks resulted in a counterattack upon which Narkuor had a shot but it was saved.

Half time statistics

GOAL!

India score to make it 2-0! Neha on the scoresheet. She pushes the ball into the area but it goes off a Ghana player into the goal. Should be an own goal but officially it is given to Neha. Come against the run of play

India 1-0 Ghana

Another PC for Ghana for some poor defending. A Ghana player is pushed inside the D and the African team have another chance to score, to equalise. But the trap is poor and the chance is wasted once again

India 1-0 Ghana

PENALTY CORNER! Ghana get their first PC of the match. To make things easier for them, India have one player removed from the goal for getting out before time. Poor from India in the last couple of minutes. The shot from the Ghanaian player isn’t good enough and the chance goes to waste

India 1-0 Ghana

SHOT ON GOAL! SAVED! Opoku with a nice trap inside the India D, turns and she has a shot on the India goal but it is straight at Savita who parries it. Cleared away swiftly

India 1-0 Ghana

India continue to find themselves in the Ghana area of he pitch. And India continue to be thwarted. No clear cut chances in the second quarter for India. The more-experienced side just not clinical in their passing at the moment but doing a good job at stepping up the pressure

Q1: India 1-0 Ghana

WHAT A SAVE! Goalkeeper stranded, goal gaping and Sulemana stands tall to defy India and from the score becoming 2-0. After the first quarter, India lead 1-0

More on the first goal…

It was Salima Tete who injected the ball into the area from the penalty corner, Sushila Chanu trapped it beautifully and Gurjit Kaur stepped up to smack the ball into the right corner. After struggling with PCs in the World Cup, a good, positive start

INDIA 1-0 GHANA

GOAL! ???????? INDIA LEAD! Gurjit Kaur is clinical from the penalty corner and India are ahead in just the third minute

Pre-tournament speak: Vandana Kataria

“Our preparations have been going great.  After the World Cup we have had 2 weeks to prepare for the opener. We have dedicated all our time working on our strengths and making sure that we can iron out our weaknesses as a team. I think our squad has improved considerably in these 2 weeks.” 

“Even though our performance at the World Cup was not a display of our full potential, it fills me with hope and joy that we always looked to play our own game. We never gave up which shows the mental fortitude the players in this squad have thereby giving us an edge ahead of our first game at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.”

CWG 2022 Day 1 Live Updates: Hockey

Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Commonwealth Games 2022 women’s hockey tournament in Birmingham, where India take on Ghana in their opening Pool clash. Stay tuned for more updates.