Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022: India Defeat China 2-0 To Win Bronze, Japan Bag Title

In an interesting match, the Indian Women's Hockey team won against China with a score of 2-0 and won the bronze medal in the Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman, on January 28, 2022.

The Women's Hockey Team started its Women's Asia Cup 2022 campaign against Malaysia. India had also won the 2017 edition against China in Japan and hence were the defending champions at the tournament.

This attack looks as strong as #TeamInBlue💙#IndiaKaGame pic.twitter.com/0ezxeEqZKQ

— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 29, 2022

Who Are The Winning Faces?

The Women's Hockey Team had 31-year-old goalkeeper Savita Punia as the captain of the Indian squad at the Women's Asia Cup 2022. Defender Deep Grace Ekka was vice-captain.

The other goalkeeper was Rajani Etimarpu, and Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, and Udita were the defenders. Midfielders included Nisha, Sushila Chanu, Monika, Neha, Salima Tete, Jyoti, and Navjot Kaur. Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Kataria, Mariana Kujur and Sharmila Devi were the Forwards. Vandana Kataria was the most experienced amongst them, with 249 international caps.

Format Of The Tournament

The tournament was played in a two-pool format with cross-over classification matches. India was clubbed with Japan, Malaysia and Singapore in Pool A and South Korea, China, Thailand and Indonesia were placed in Pool B. The top two teams from each pool made it to the semi-finals.

A Thriller Match Between India & China

The first quarter of the match saw no goals from either side, but India got two penalty corners right before the break. Gurjit Kaur's shot was partly obstructed, but Sharmila Devi reacted quickly and diverted it into the net to give India the lead. India concentrated most of their attacks down the right in the second quarter, which paid off soon. Sharmila Devi gained a penalty corner, and Gurjit Kaur made a powerful drag-flick to make it 2-0 to India. India entered into halftime with a two-goal lead.

The third quarter was more competitive as both India and China launched attacks, but India remained ahead. India maintained pressure on China in the last quarter and did not allow many chances to the opponent team. The Indian defence team held firm and secured the bronze medal.

A Glance At India's Performance In Women's Hockey Asia Cup

India made its debut in the Women's Hockey Asia Cup in 1989, in which it secured the fourth position with two points. The tournament was played in a round-robin format, and India started their campaign against Hong Kong with a 2-0 win.

In 1993, India secured the third position and won the bronze medal. In the semi-finals, India lost to China 3-0 but went on to beat Japan 1-0 in the playoff.

In 1999, India emerged as a runner-up and won the silver medal. India and South Korea played the final match. The match saw the golden goal scenario in which the first team to score the next goal was adjudged the winner. South Korea scored its third goal within four minutes into the golden goal period, and India finished at second position.

2004 was a great year for India as India emerged as champions! The Indian team beat South Korea 5-0 in the semi-finals and then won against Japan 1-0 in the final and won their first title in their homeland.

In 2009, India secured a silver medal. It entered the final after beating South Korea 3-2. In the final, China beat India 5-3 and secured the title.

India won a bronze medal in 2013 after it won against China 3-2 in the penalty shoot-out.

India won its second title in 2017. The team blanked Singapore 10-0 and then China 4-1 and Malaysia 2-0 and went to the top in the group. India won against Kazakhstan 7-1 in the quarter-finals and Japan 4-2 in the semi-finals. In the final, India won the penalty shoot-out against China 5-4.

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