FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup | Indian thrash Malaysia to top Pool D, to face South Korea in quarters

04/06/2022

With a 4-0 victory against Malaysia in their third and final Pool D encounter on Tuesday, India preserved their flawless winning record at the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2022. Mumtaz Khan scored twice while Sangita Kumari and Lalrindiki each scored once, as the team did not concede any.

Salima Tete, the Indian captain, was named player of the match for her outstanding all-around performance. With the victory, India led Pool D with nine points from three games. In the quarter-finals on Friday, India will meet South Korea, which placed second in Pool C.

The Indian women's hockey team got off to a poor start, giving Malaysia control on several occasions. Mumtaz Khan, on the other hand, opened the floodgates for India in the ninth minute with a superb field goal.

Sangita Kumari assisted a low cross from Lalrindiki past the goal line in the next minute, extending India's advantage to two goals. India eventually began to breach the Malaysian circle with greater confidence in the second stanza and was rewarded in the 25th minute when Lalrindiki made it 3-0. At the half, the score stayed the same, with India controlling 64% of possession and causing 15 circle intrusions as opposed to Malaysia's five.

In the third quarter, the Malaysian women's hockey team pushed forward with more purpose, threatening the Indian goal with a series of counterattacks. Indian goalie Bichu Kharibam, on the other hand, stayed firm to defend India's three-goal advantage.

In the fourth quarter, Malaysia began to gain more possession and throw players forward. Khushboo, the Indian goalie who took over for Bichu Kharibam, did an excellent job of fending off attacks from several Malaysian penalty corners. With Malaysia putting players forward in the last minutes, the Indian midfield pounced on open spaces and set up Mumtaz Khan, who held her calm to finish the game.

The greatest result for the Indian women's hockey team at the junior hockey World Cup so far is a bronze medal in 2013.