Gurjit Kaur's double helps Indian eves down Japan 2-1 in Olympic test event
With the teams having played each other frequently in the past couple of years, they understood each other’s tactics well and it made for a tightly-contested game.
Published : Aug 17, 2019 12:34 IST
The Indian women’s hockey team started its campaign in the Olympic test event with a resilient 2-1 victory over host Japan on Saturday.
India took an early lead through its penalty corner specialist, Gurjit Kaur, in the ninth minute, but the host equalised in the 16th minute as Aki Mitsuhashi scored a field goal.
However, Gurjit stepped up again in the 35th minute to convert yet another penalty corner, which turned out to be the decisive goal in the match.
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The Indians started the match with an aggressive intent, and had a few opportunities in the opening 10 minutes. Both the teams, playing with 16 players as per the Olympic Games guidelines, made swift and timely substitutions throughout the match, and it was in the 16th minute that Japan’s substitution worked for them.
The 29-year-old Mitsuhashi combined well with her teammates before drawing parity.
With majority of the attacks coming from the Indian team, the Japanese sat back and looked to attack on the counter.
The teams have played each other frequently in the past couple of years, which showed on the field as they understood each other’s tactics well, and it meant that the teams went into the half-time break level at 1-1.
The third quarter saw India dominate the initial minutes, and winning themselves another penalty corner in the 35th minute. A moment of magic from Gurjit saw India regain its one-goal advantage as the 23-year-old smashed the ball into the back of the net.
The host tried to look for another equaliser in the remaining minutes, but could not convert its opportunities into goals.