Hockey’s Women’s Junior Asia Cup: India defeats Malaysia 2-1 in a spirited contest
In their second game of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 on Monday in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, the Indian junior women’s hockey team recovered from behind to upset Malaysia 2-1.
Mumtaz Khan (10′) and Deepika (26′) both scored a goal to help India win the match and maintain their lead in Pool A after Dian Nazeri (6′) opened the scoring for Malaysia.
India was aggressive from the start of the game, which helped them earn a few penalty corners early on but they were unable to take advantage of them since Malaysia concentrated on maintaining possession. A few minutes into the game, Malaysia shifted to counterattacking, and it quickly paid off when Dian Nazeri (6′), who was standing unguarded in the D, scored a field goal to give her side the lead. The first quarter finished with the score locked at 1-1, but a few minutes later, India got back into the game when Mumtaz Khan (10′) scored an equalizer from a penalty corner.
India came out in full force in the second quarter, desperate to seize the lead. The strategy paid off as Deepika (26′) got a penalty stroke and comfortably converted it to put her side in ahead. Notably, the Indian side continued to assault in an effort to increase their advantage, but there were no more goals in the second period, and India led 2-1 at the interval.
The third quarter began in the same way as the second, with India continuing to control play by maintaining possession of the ball and putting a lot of pressure on Malaysia’s defense. India led 2-1 going into the third quarter, however neither Malaysia nor India were able to score, and the game finished scoreless.
India, eager to hold onto their lead, concentrated on maintaining ball control in the last frame, while Malaysia stepped up their effort to draw even. To ensure that Malaysia spent more time defending than attacking, Indian players began to play a little more aggressively. The approach was successful, as the intense game finished 2-1 in India’s favor.
On June 6, the India will face Korea in their subsequent Pool A match.
