After a five-star performance against Korea just two nights back, India were made to work hard, often forced to grind it out, but they eventually managed to hold on for a 2-0 semifinal win against the same opponents at the Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi on Saturday.
Salima Tete (11′) and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke (19′) were on the scoresheet for India who will take on Japan in the final on Sunday.
“Yes, we expect a different semifinal but I hope not, because that would mean we have a good game,” is what India head coach Janneke Schopman had said on Thursday. As it turned out, it was indeed a different game but the result was still in favour of the hosts.
The pride of #IndianHockey🏑 on the 🔝 at the Women's Asian Championship 2023, Jharkhand
Currently ranked 7th in the world, our girls displayed sheer brilliance as they took down 🇰🇷 with a stunning 2-0 victory in today's Semi-Final Clash 🥳
We are just one win away from… pic.twitter.com/m950h8WLvQ
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) November 4, 2023
The highlight of the match came early for India in the opening quarter. One of the most thrilling sights in hockey is a well-executed counterattack. They are like the mass moments we are used to in Indian cinema. Protagonist is pegged back. Odds are not in their favour. A sudden surge happens. Background score builds up to a crescendo. Then comes the payoff.
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India’s opening goal on the night was exactly that. They were pinned down in their defence but played the ball out down the left and got into space. Salima Tete – central, again, as she has been deployed in this tournament – was released with a smart pass. She turned on the heat. The crowd noise kept increasing with every passing moment as they saw what was unfolding. Salima then played a brilliant pass down the left channel to Vandana Katariya. The most capped Indian showcased her brilliant awareness to find Udita to her right. By this time Salima had continued her run to reach the box and applied the finishing touch to the final pass as the crowd roared in unison. Cue, decibel levels rising.
“We played the end-to-end passes, we transferred the ball as a team. This is what coach Janneke tells us,” said Vandana about that move. “We train that a lot because we have the speed and the ability to move the ball forward quickly. That was a perfect execution. It was an amazing goal and I am pleased Salima scored again,” Schopman added.
It was magical, but the rest of the night wasn’t quite so.
India extended their lead in the second quarter through Vaishnavi lifting it home from close range off a penalty corner rebound. After that, it was mostly a struggle. While the third quarter was the highlight two days back, it was the opposite this time around. Indiscipline was again a concern as India invited pressure in the final quarter with two yellow cards in succession. It was, briefly, 9 Indians against 11 Korean outfield players.
𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐒!
Khelte hum ekdum powerful hai, aur ab jeet ek kadam dur hai.#HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame #JWACT2023 pic.twitter.com/J8ltho0pP5
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 4, 2023
But, while India’s offensive play was off the mark, the defence stood tall with Nisha having a fantastic match while captain Savita Punia stepped in whenever called into action.
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“The whole game, we struggled a little bit to be honest,” Schopman said. “From playing really well two nights back we had to really work hard. I watched a video of that night and that felt almost perfect. Today it felt like the engine really didn’t go. I must say, defensively Nisha and Savi were outstanding. We weren’t fluent today. Sometimes we have to win ugly, if you are a good team. We did that today. Maybe not in a brilliant way, but this is what top teams do and we learned. We took a step there.”
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Earlier in the day, Japan and China produced a thrilling game of hockey in the first semifinal that saw the former win 2-1. China took the lead in what was an even first half, but Japan were always in the hunt going close a couple of times. Coach Jude Menezes said at half-time that he believed in a turnaround, and Japan duly obliged with a storming third quarter, scoring twice to take the lead. The Asian Games gold medallists piled on the pressure in the end, taking off their goalkeeper with nearly 10 minutes left but Japan held on for what Menezes said was one of the best wins in his time as their coach.
On Sunday, Menezes – the goalkeeper who donned India’s jersey at Sydney 2000 – will be in the dugout plotting a way to reverse his side’s two heartbreaking defeats against Savita Punia & Co this month. “It will be surreal. Even though I have been away from India for 21 years, I still wore that jersey once. I keep notes about staying calm… and I keep looking at them.”
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It’s a note that both teams could use for what promises to be a close battle for the title.
Asian Champions Trophy: Beautiful counterattacking goal stands out in an ‘ugly win’ as India defeat Korea to reach the final - The Indian Express
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