Indian women’s team defeated South Korea by 2-1 in the final to lift its maiden Women’s Junior Asia Cup title in Kakamigahara, Japan on Sunday.
For India, Annu and Neelam scored a goal each while Park Seoyeon breached the net once for Korea.
In acknowledgment of the team’s exceptional performance and their undefeated streak in the tournament, leading them to secure a spot in the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 in Chile, the Hockey India has declared a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh for each player, while the support staff will receive Rs 1 lakh each as a token of appreciation.
Hockey India President, Dilip Tirkey, lauded the Indian team for its glorious achievement and said, “We are filled with immense pride as the Indian Junior Women’s team clinched their maiden Junior Asia Cup, leaving us all in awe. Their exceptional display of talent and determination has been truly promising. This triumph has solidified their status as a dominant force in the field, and I firmly believe it will serve as a strong foundation for their upcoming challenge at the Junior World Cup later this year. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the team and the dedicated support staff for their unwavering efforts in bringing glory to our nation.”
Also, Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh conveyed his heartfelt wishes to the team for their triumphant campaign and commended the team’s exceptional display of character and sportsmanship in every single match.
After a goalless first quarter, India got the breakthrough as Annu struck from the spot after Mumtaz Khan deflected one onto the body of a Korean defender.
However, Korea fought back quickly to equalise on counter and a finish by Seoyeon as the two teams ended the first half one goal each.
In the third quarter, Neelam found the net again to give India a lead.
Despite, Korea’s close attempts and counters, India goalkeeper Madhuri Kindo along with her defenders kept the ball away from the net.
In all, India defended eight penalty corners by South Korea.
In order to protect its lead, India shifted its focus on defending and controlling the tempo of the game by keeping possession in the fourth quarter, while, on the other hand, Korea made some forced errors and misdirected passes in its desperation of finding an equaliser. Ultimately, India stood strong and stuck to their strategy to win the summit clash 2-1.
Meanwhile, speaking about the final, Indian captain Preeti said, “Following a 1-1 draw in the round-robin stage, we were acutely aware of the specific areas we needed to excel in order to overcome Korea. The final match brought about a considerable amount of nerves. However, we knew that as a team we have to play our best game to achieve something special and that’s exactly what we did. We are elated to make our nation proud.”
