Page 3 - Indian Hockey

Olympics Hockey Qualifiers: India women maul Italy 5-1 to enter semis

Udita Duhan capped her milestone 100th international appearance with a double strike that took India closer to a Paris ticket after hosts thrashed Italy 5-1 to enter the semi-final of the FIH Olympic Qualifier here on Tuesday. Udita (1st minute, 55th), Deepika (41st), Salima Tete (45th) and Navneet Kaur (53rd) were the goal scorers for Indian team as it finished second in Pool B with two wins from three games behind United States, who remained unbeaten. India will take on Pool A toppers Germany in the semifinals on Thursday, while USA will be up against Japan. The top three teams will qualify for the Paris Olympics. It was yet another good show by the Indians after the 0-1 loss to USA in their opener as they controlled the flow of the match from start to finish. Udita was rock solid at the back, while diminutive Neha Goyal and Salima controlled the proceedings in the mid-field. It was a perfect start for India as just like their previous match, the hosts took the lead in the firs

Spirited India women's hockey side eye Italy to keep Paris hopes alive

Their campaign back on track after a wobbly start, India would look for another spirited all-round performance to outwit lower-ranked Italy in their final pool match and progress to the semifinals of the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier here on Tuesday. The Indians, ranked sixth in the world, did not have the best of starts to the tournament as they lost to world no. 12 USA 0-1 in their opening Pool B match. But the Savita Punia-led side bounced back strongly and produced a masterclass performance to beat New Zealand 3-1 in a must-win match on Sunday, which kept their Paris Olympics hopes alive. Having missed the bus through Asian Games, the ongoing tournament is India's only chance to qualify for this year's Olympics as top three teams from here will book Paris tickets. The USA are atop Pool B with two wins, while India and New Zealand currently have three points each but the hosts are below the Black Sticks on goal difference. And come Tuesday, the Indians would look for nothing le

Women's Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: India beat NZ 3-1 to keep hopes alive

India on Sunday rose from the ashes to tame New Zealand 3-1 with a spirited performance in their second pool match of the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier to keep alive their hopes of securing a ticket to Paris Games. The Indians, who dropped a rung to seventh in the world rankings released on Saturday, did not have the best of starts in the tournament, losing to lower-ranked United States 0-1 in their opening Pool B match. In contrast, New Zealand registered an easy 3-0 win over Italy on Saturday. But it was complete turnover from the Indians on Sunday. Leaving behind the USA disappointment, the Indians produced all-round hockey on Sunday and used every corner of the turf to build their attacks with short and crisp passes. This was what India's chief coach Janneke Schopman pointed after USA match and the girls seemed to have attentively listened to the Dutch, which was evident from the team's much-improved performance on Sunday. Salima Tete had a brilliant game and was involved in

'Do yourself a favour and show up': Schopman's message that did wonders

"Just do yourself a favour and show up." This was India's chief coach Janneke Schopman's message to her wards ahead of the must-win Pool B FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier match against New Zealand here on Sunday. Schopman gave the message after India lost 0-1 to the United States in their opener on Saturday and a loss or draw against New Zealand would have dented their hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. But the Indian women dished out "near-perfect" hockey to tame New Zealand 3-1 in their second match. "I said that no one's perfect. We are going to make mistakes but that doesn't matter. We just have to play and said to them 'just do yourself a favour and show up today'. The biggest message was we need to connect as a team and we need to play together and I think they did that today," Schopman said after the win. "It was close to perfect. We defended really well. New Zealand is a difficult team to play against because of their high balls. We could have awarded ourselves with

FIH Women's Hockey Olympic Qualifiers: Profligate India lose 0-1 to USA in

A profligate Indian team squandered chances galore to lose 0-1 to lower-ranked United States of America in its opening match of the FIH Women's Olympic Qualifier here on Saturday. Ranked sixth in the world, India dominated the possession and created numerous scoring chances, including as many as seven penalty corners, but failed to breach the American defence. USA, ranked 24th in the world rankings, scored the solitary goal of the match through Abigail Tamer in the 16th minute of the Pool B match. The defeat would make India's road to Paris tougher as it will be up against stronger teams in next matches. There was hardly anything to separate the two sides in the first quarter which witnessed a keenly-contested battle. Both teams managed a few circle penetration but goals eluded the two sides. The Indians, however, were guilty of not using both the flanks unlike USA who build their attacks from both corners. India's woes from penalty corners remained unchanged as they wasted as ma

Hockey coach Fulton picks big squad for Four-Nation tour of South Africa

India has picked a jumbo 26-member squad for the men's Four-Nation hockey tour of South Africa this month to check out as many players as possible in the crucial Olympic year. The tournament, which will mark the comeback of former captain Manpreet Singh after a break, will be played in Cape Town from January 22 with the other competing countries being France, the Netherlands and hosts South Africa. The Indians will be led by Harmanpreet Singh, while FIH Player of the Year Hardik Singh will be his deputy. "We are quite excited to get on with the season in the Olympic year with the South Africa tour where we will play quality teams," said India chief coach Craig Fulton. "We have chosen a big squad in order to give players exposure and it will also give me an opportunity to see some of the players in competition mode ahead of the Pro League," he added. Youngsters Araijeet Singh Hundal and Boby Singh Dhami have been included following an impressive outing with the junior Indian side.

5-nation tournament: India beat France 5-4 in last match to record lone win

Captain Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh struck a brace each as the Indian men's hockey team beat France 5-4 in its fourth and final match to notch up its lone win in the five-nation tournament here on Wednesday. Jugraj scored in the 20th and 60th minutes while Harmanpreet found the target in the 25th and 56th minutes. Vivek Sagar Prasad (16th) struck once in the match that went back and forth throughout its duration. India thus ended their largely disappointing campaign with a win. They had lost all their earlier three matches in the tournament -- 0-1 to Spain, 2-7 to Belgium and 2-3 to Germany. France are the lowest-ranked side at ninth while India are at third. The first quarter saw France take the lead through a penalty-corner conversion from Lucas Montecot in the 11th minute. India equalised early in the second quarter through a field goal from Vivek. Jugraj then put India in the lead after converting a penalty corner before Harmanpreet doubled the lead through another pena

FIH Junior Hockey World Cup 2023: Indian colts lose bronze to Spain 1-3

The Bronze medal match lived up to its billing, with both sides putting up a fine show

5-Nation tournament: Indian men's hockey team loses to Spain 0-1 in opener

The Indian men's hockey team began its 5-Nation Tournament on a disappointing note, losing 0-1 to lower ranked Spain here on Friday. Alvaro Iglesias scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute. The Indian team, which has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, is ranked third in the world while Spain is eighth. Before Friday, India and Spain had played against each other twice this year and the result had been even. India beat Spain in a World Cup group match in January while the European side was victorious in a tournament at home in July. The first quarter of the match saw both the teams earn a penalty corner each but neither managed to find the back of the net. Spain took the initiative in the second quarter, forcing a penalty corner save from Indian custodian Krishan Pathak. The pressure was telling as India received a green card and Spain immediately pounced on the opportunity. Alvaro Iglesias breached India's defence a

5-Nation tournament: Indian women's hockey team suffers 2-3 defeat to Spain

Indian women's hockey team suffered a 2-3 defeat to Spain in its opening match of the 5-Nation Tournament here on Friday. Gurjit Kaur (13th minute) and Sangita Kumari (14th) scored a goal each for India, while Sara Barrios Navarro (2nd), Patricia Alvarez Nardiz (30th) and Julia Strappato Garreta (53rd) were on target for Spain. The Spanish side began the match aggressively and was rewarded for their effort with Navarro breaking the deadlock in only the second minute of the game. Thereafter, India launched a counter-attack, pushing Spain back into their half and earning a penalty corner. Gurjit Kaur capitalised on this opportunity and unleashed a powerful flick to bring India back on level terms. Soon after, Sangita Kumari breached the Spanish defence to give India the lead. The first quarter ended 2-1 in India's favour. The second quarter saw a resilient Spain fight back and equalise through Patricia Alvarez Nardiz's goal. India and Spain continued to look for the goal that would

Hockey Junior WC: India need to pull up their socks versus Spain for Bronze

A profligate India will have to raise their game by leaps and bounds if they want to overcome a mighty Spain in the bronze medal play-off match of the junior men's hockey World Cup here on Saturday. India wasted as many as 12 penalty corners to lose 1-4 against a clinical Germany in the semifinal on Thursday. The Indians would be morally down but come Saturday, they can't afford to be wasteful against Spain, who defeated them 4-1 in the pool stages. On the other hand, Spain too would be hurting from 1-3 loss against France in the semifinal and would be looking to finish their campaign with at least a bronze medal. The Indians too would be eyeing their fourth podium finish in the history of the tournament, having won gold twice (in 2001 Hobart and 2016 Lucknow), and a silver way back in 1997 in Milton Keynes, England. But for that the Uttam Singh-led side needs to do some soul-searching and produce its 'A' game. The tournament turned out to be a mixed bag affair for India as they

India lose to Germany 1-4 in semifinal of FIH junior men's hockey World Cup

Penalty corner woes continued to haunt India as they failed to convert even once from 12 shots to lose 1-4 to a clinical Germany in the semifinal of junior men's hockey World Cup here on Thursday. Six-time champions Germany, on the other hand, earned just two penalty corners in the whole match but scored on both the occasions. The Indian team will need a lot of soul-searching as it was inexplicable not to score even once from a dozen penalty corners in such a crucial stage of the showpiece. The Indians had produced a spectacular display of grit and character to prevail over the Netherlands, ranked fourth in the world, in the quarterfinal on Tuesday in their 4-3 win, but penalty corner conversion let them down on Thursday. Ben Hasbach struck a brace with goals in the eighth (field goal) and 30th minute (penalty corner) to give Germany a 2-1 lead at half-time. Sudeep Chirmako (11th) scored the solitary goal for India with a field effort. The mighty Germans then consolidated their le

Confident Indian junior men's hockey team hopeful of success in World Cup

Indian junior hockey team's recent success in continental events will play a morale-boosting role when it begins its campaign in the men's Junior World Cup, beginning in Kuala Lumpur on December 5, asserted vice-captain Araijeet Singh Hundal here on Saturday. The Indian team left for the Junior World Cup on Saturday and will play its opening game against Korea on December 5. "The team has grown significantly since the last World Cup (in Bhubaneswar). We won the Sultan of Johor Cup 2022 and the Junior Asia Cup and recently finished third in the Sultan of Johor Cup as well," said Hundal in a Hockey India release on Saturday. "So, we know that we are capable of winning the Junior World Cup, it's just a matter of performing to the best of our abilities when the time comes." India are placed in Pool C alongside Spain, Korea and Canada, while defending champions Argentina are in Pool A along with Chile, Australia and hosts Malaysia. Germany, France, South Africa and Egypt are slotted in

Hockey coach Fulton seeks ''fresh perspective'' for Olympics preparation

Hockey India on Tuesday named a 39-member core group of players for the men's national camp to prepare for the upcoming five-nation tournament in Spain, even as head coach Craig Fulton seeks a "fresh perspective" for next year's Paris Olympics. The Indian men's hockey team, which qualified directly for Paris Olympics after winning the gold medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games, will feature in the five-nation tournament in Valencia starting from December 15. World champions Germany, France, Belgium and the hosts Spain are the other teams in the tournament. The men's national coaching camp begins at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru from Wednesday. It was a long break from national camp after a successful outing in the Hangzhou Asian Games. Most of the players from the team played the National Championship in Chennai, and I too got a chance to watch some of the young and upcoming players closely," Fulton said. "We will now assemble in SAI, Bengaluru, with a fresh

Asian Games Highlights: India win Gold in Men's Hockey; Meal tally - 95

Asian Games 2023 highlights: India assured Silver in men's cricket by defeating Bangladesh by 9 wickets in the semifinal. Archers win Silver; India's medal tally: 95 - 22 Gold, 34 Silver & 39 Bronze

Asian Games: India win Gold medal after 9 years; qualify for Paris Olympics

A dominant Indian men's hockey team thrashed defending champions Japan 5-1 to reclaim the Asian Games gold medal after nine years and qualify for next year's Paris Olympics here on Friday. The Indians, who had to be content with a bronze medal in the last edition in Jakarta, thus won their fourth Asian Games gold and first since the 2014 Incheon edition. India's other gold medals came in 1966 and 1998, both times in Bangkok. Harmanpreet Singh (32nd, 59th minutes) scored a brace through penalty corners, Amit Rohidas (36th) also sounded the board from a set-piece, while Manpreet Singh (25th) and Abhishek (48th) found the net from field efforts to register the famous victory for India. Seren Tanaka converted a penalty corner for Japan in the 51st minutes.

Asian Games Highlights Day 11: Satwik-Chirag secures Bronze; Medal Tally 86

Asian Games 2023 Highlights: Indian archers made their country proud by winning two Gold medals, while Dipika-Harinder won Gold in squash. India medal tally: 21 Gold, 32 Silver and 33 Bronze - 86

Asian Games October 6 schedule: Cricket - IND vs BAN; IND vs PAK in Kabaddi

Indian men's cricket team will be in action on October 6 while India vs Pakistan Kabaddi match in semifinal will enthral the fans. IND vs PAK kabaddi match will begin at 12:30 PM IST.

Asian Games 2023: Battling nerves key for India in men's hockey final

The Indian men's hockey team will have to battle nerves and handle pressure effectively when it takes on defending champions Japan in the final of the Asian Games here on Friday, in its pursuit of reclaiming the gold medal at the continental showpiece after nine years. India last won the men's hockey gold in the Asian Games in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea and would be gunning for their fourth yellow metal in the quadrennial extravaganza and secure a direct ticket to next year's Paris Olympics. The last time India won the Gold at the Asian Games was back in 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. World no.3 India have claimed the Asian Games Gold medal thrice since the inception of Field Hockey at the Asian Games, winning the title in 1966, 1998 and in 2014. And going by their form and world ranking, India are clear favourites to win the gold here and add to their nine silver and three bronze medal at the Asian Games. It was a disappointing outing for India in the last edition of the Games in

Asian Games 2023: Harmanpreet scores 4 goals as India maul Singapore 16-1

The Indian Team went into this match with immense confidence, having recorded a resounding 16-0 victory in their tournament opener against Uzbekistan on Sunda