Hyderabad: India beat Italy, reach qualifiers final
HYDERABAD: India entered the final of the Women’s Hockey World Cup qualifiers after defeating Italy 1-0 in the semifinal at GMC Balayogi Stadium on Friday.
India convert penalty corner to seal semifinal victory
India, which had already secured a berth in the Women’s Hockey World Cup, advanced to the final with a narrow win in the qualifiers tournament.
Both teams fought evenly from the start. The side led by Salima Tete pressed hard for goals, but Italy’s defence held firm in the opening minutes.
India earned a penalty corner in the 18th minute but failed to convert. Navneet Kaur’s shot was stopped by Italy goalkeeper Lucia Ingram with a quick save.
Another chance came two minutes later, but Navneet’s attempt went wide of the target.
Manisha Chauhan strike takes India to final
Italy stepped up its attack in the second half. Emilia Falcioni took a shot at goal, but Indian goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam blocked the effort.
With both teams denying each other scoring chances, the match appeared headed for a shootout.
India broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. Manisha Chauhan converted a penalty corner with a powerful strike to give India the lead.
India earned two more penalty corners in the final quarter but could not add to the score.
Italy received a penalty corner in the final minute, but India defended well to secure the win.
India will face England in the final scheduled at 7.30 pm on Saturday.
England defeat Scotland in other semifinal
England beat Scotland 2-0 in the other semifinal.
Lottie Bingham opened the scoring early in the match. Darcy Bourne doubled the lead in the 29th minute as England maintained control to seal victory.
In classification matches for the fifth to eighth places, Wales beat Korea 2-1, while Uruguay defeated Austria 3-0.
Telangana ministers Mohammad Azharuddin and Seethakka, along with young shooter Isha Singh, attended the matches as chief guests on Friday.
