Indian Women’s Hockey Team Misses Paris Olympics Spot after 0-1 Defeat to Japan

The Indian women’s hockey team faced a setback in their quest for Paris Olympics qualification, losing 0-1 to Japan in the FIH Qualifiers third-place match in Ranchi.

Japan secured their Paris Olympics berth with a sixth-minute penalty corner goal by Kana Urata, ending India’s hopes.

Despite a strong start by Japan and early pressure on Indian defense, goalkeeper Savita thwarted attempts in the second minute.

Japan’s persistent attacks led to Urata’s successful penalty corner in the sixth minute, putting India on the back foot.

The Indian team struggled to threaten Japan’s goal, displaying a departure from their usual attacking style.

Despite India’s defensive efforts, Japan continued to apply pressure and had several dangerous crosses that were well defended.

India’s attacking play mainly focused on the right flank, deviating from their usual strategy, allowing Japan to control proceedings.

In the second quarter, India secured two penalty corners, but goalkeeper Eika Nakamura denied Deepika’s attempts.

India’s lack of intent to win 50-50 balls and a reliance on hitting the ball from the 30-yard circle hampered their gameplay.

Despite multiple penalty corners, India failed to convert, and their perennial issue of goal conversion persisted throughout the match.

In the third quarter, India made several attempts, earning penalty corners, but Nakamura’s resilience kept them at bay.

India’s dominance in the second half did not translate into goals, with nine penalty corners yielding no success.

In the final minutes, Salima Tete had a golden opportunity to equalize but missed the mark, sealing India’s fate.

With this defeat, Japan claimed the third spot, joining Germany and the USA in qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

The Indian women’s hockey team’s dream of repeating their Tokyo Olympics success ended with an unfortunate loss to Japan.

Re-reported from the article originally published in The india.com