Santiago (Chile): India came from behind to outwit Korea 3-1 in the 9th-12th place classification match of the Junior women’s hockey World Cup here.
Ropni Kumari (23rd minute), Mumtaz Khan (44th) and Annu (46th) scored for India, while Jiyun Choi (19th) was the goal-getter for Korea Thursday.
In the opening quarter, Korea dominated possession and secured the first penalty corner, but they could not utilise the chance.
India, opting for counter-attacks, kept Korea’s defence busy but couldn’t convert their promising entries to the opposition circle, resulting to a goal-less deadlock after the first 1 quarter.
The second quarter mirrored the intensity of the first, with India and Korea persisting in their attacking plays.
Choi broke the deadlock with a precise penalty corner strike, but India swiftly responded through Ropni, who equalized from another penalty corner.
Korea, desperate to regain the lead, ramped up their aggression. Despite their fervent efforts, India’s solid defence thwarted Korea’s advances and counter-attacked skillfully, keeping the pressure on their opponent’s defensive line.
However, no more goals were scored in the second quarter as both teams entered the half-time break with the score levelled at 1-1.
In the third quarter, India dominated the proceedings by keeping possession and troubling Korea’s defence rigorously. The strategy paid dividends as Mumtaz brilliantly slotted the ball home from a penalty corner to give her team the lead.
The penultimate quarter ended 2-1 in favour of India.
India intensified their attacks and extended their lead early in the fourth and final quarter of the game as Annu netted a superb field goal, securing a two-goal advantage for her team.
India continued to unsettle Korea’s defence, maintaining their momentum and denying any chance of a comeback.
The victory means that India, who had earlier bowed out of the title contention after finishing third in Pool C, will stand a chance to finish ninth in the tournament when they take on either Chile or USA in their last match Saturday.
