Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of Indian women's hockey team's Tokyo 2020 quarterfinal game against Australia. This was Dominic Richard taking you through the action as it unfurled at the Oi Hockey Stadium.
Thanks for tuning in!
FOLLOW BLOG |
You can head to Sportstar's other blog of the day for updates from various Olympic events involving Indians on Monday (August 2) through the link provided below as the Indian Hockey teams gear up for the medal round!
INDIANS IN ACTION |
The Indian Women will face Argentina in the semifinals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the men's side will take on Belgium in a last-four fixture tomorrow at 7 AM IST. Indian Hockey action for the day comes to an end.
MATCH REPORT |
Gurjit Kaur, who's been struggling for form all tournament, scored the only penalty corner India won this game when it mattered the most. Savita Punia and the defence then produced a masterclass to beat Australia 1-0.
This has to be one of the greatest moments in Indian Olympic history. Both the men's and women's hockey teams reach the Tokyo 2020 Olympics semifinals in successive days. Today's victory is much more special.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
AND THE MATCH IS OVER! INDIA BEATS AUSTRALIA 1-0 TO MAKE THE TOKYO OLYMPICS SEMIFINALS!!!
60' The Australian players look extremely tired. India regains possession and the team is playing back and side passes to see off the time remaining on the clock.
58' BACK-TO-BACK PCs FOR AUSTRALIA! And Savita Punia comes to India's rescue once more. This was the Indian goalkeeper's ninth save of the match.
54' GREEN CARD! India down to 10 yet again! Can Australia capitalise on this numerical advantage? Nikki Pradhan has been penalised by the umpire for a poor challenge.
52' BACK-TO-BACK PCs FOR AUSTRALIA! The team has won seven penalty corners today. And once again, Indian defenders stand tall and avert the danger.
50' SHOT! Madison Fitzpatrick sends the ball towards goal from close range. But Savita makes yet another save to keep India 1-0 ahead in this game.
47' Australia is creating enough chances but the team's end product has been well below par. The Indian defence has made things even more difficult for the mighty Aussies.
THE FOURTH QUARTER IS UNDERWAY!
If the score stays the same for 15 more minutes, the Indian Women's Hockey Team will join the men in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics. Will the Indians complete an incredible upset? The last quarter coming your way in a few minutes!
THE THIRD IS OVER!
45' CLOSE! Sharmila Devi sends an inch-perfect cross from the right. But Rani Rampal's connection in the middle deflects the ball away from goal. Meanwhile, Australia is down to 10 on the field as Peris is green carded.
43' SHOT! This is the first attacking circle penetration of the quarter for India. Navneet Kaur receives the ball at the edge of the shooting circle, evades a tackle from an opposition player and fires her shot wide off target.
40' Another Australia move forward, another missed opportunity. Brooke Peris was sprinting forward with the ball on the left flank. However, she messes up her final pass into the circle.
37' SAVE! This was quite straightforward for Indian goalkeeper Savita. Australia is trying its best to find the equaliser but India's defensive workrate has been top notch. Mariah Williams came up with a weak shot.
34' PC FOR AUSTRALIA! Sushila Chanu concedes this one after she played on despite the umpire's whistle. The Australians work out a penalty-corner variation and end up over-complicating things.
32' Indian forward Sharmila Devi, who was injured in the first quarter after a collision with Australia's Lynch, is set to come on now. This should be a boost for India.
THE THIRD QUARTER STARTS!
Australia has attempted seven shots today, but has been unable to find the back of the net. India has converted the only penalty corner it has won so far, while the Australians are zero for three in PC conversion. Can the Indians write their own underdog story? Thirty minutes to go. Stay tuned!
THE SECOND QUARTER IS DONE AND DUSTED!
30' Indian defender Deep Grace Ekka playing some quick passes and receiving the ball back in an attempt to see off this quarter. The Australians look frustrated.
28' India has clearly taken Australia by surprise here. The Pool B winner wouldn't have expected the Indians to be this challenging, considering their form in the group stage. Head coach Sjoerd Marijne has definitely done something different during training.
25' India is down to 10 on the field now. Monika Malik received a green card a few moments ago. Australia tries to make use of the numerical advantage. But Emily Chalker's shot goes wide off the target.
22' GOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!!!! INDIA TAKES A 1-0 LEAD!!! Gurjit Kaur scores her first goal of the tournament. She came up with a brilliant drag flick to beat Australian keeper Rachael Lynch.
20' PENALTY CORNER FOR AUSTRALIA! And India loses its referral in an attempt to reverse the umpire's decision. Goalkeeper Savita Punia eventually makes a good save to deny the Aussies.
17' This has been an evenly-poised game so far. Navjot Kaur commits a foul and gives away possession during an Indian attack and Australia wins a free-hit.
THE SECOND QUARTER IS UNDERWAY!
Nothing to separate the two sides at the Tokyo Olympics as a goalless opening 15 minutes come to an end. Three more quarters to go. Stay tuned!
THE FIRST QUARTER ENDS!
15' The Indian defence has been quite solid today. The Australian forwards haven't been able to release shots that easily. No penalty corners in this game so far.
12' Australia is giving away a few loose balls now. India moving forward with numbers. However, Navneet Kaur concedes a free-hit.
9' INDIA HITS THE POST NOW! This was much more close. Salima Tete made a brilliant run on the left flank and sent the ball towards Vandana Katariya, who immediately set up Rani Rampal. But the Indian skipper's shot at close range hits the post and goes out of play.
7' The Australian players are pressing high here in an attempt to find an early goal. India looks a bit rusty, having lost the ball in midfield a couple of times already.
4' Australia goalkeeper Rachael Lynch makes a decent save at one end as her team initiates a counter-attack. The substitute Grace Stewart gets the ball near the circle but she is dispossessed soon after.
2' WHAT A CHANCE FOR AUSTRALIA! Ambrosia Malone receives a pass from the right flank and hits the post with her shot. The Indian defenders clear the rebound to avert the danger.
AND THE MATCH BEGINS!
The players from both teams are out on the field, and it is time for the national anthems, which will be followed by the toss in the middle.
The team lineups are out!
INDIA XI: Savita Punia (GK), Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Udita, Neha Goyal, Monika Malik, Rani Rampal (C), Navneet Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur, Nisha.
COACH - Sjoerd Marijne.
AUSTRALIA XI: Edwina Bone (C), Emily Chalker, Savannah Fitzpatrick, Kate Jenner, Stephanie Kershaw, Amy Lawton, Rachael Lynch (GK), Ambrosia Malone, Kaitlin Nobbs, Renee Taylor, Madison Fitzpatrick.
COACH - Katrina Powell.
In case you missed it, the Indian men’s national hockey team ended a 41-year wait to make it to the medal round at the Olympic Games as it clinched a 3-1 victory over Great Britain at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday to set up a semifinal encounter with Belgium.
FULL STORY |
MATCH PREVIEW:
The Indian women’s hockey team had a few anxious hours on Saturday. Despite beating South Africa 4-3 in the final group game, the team had to wait for a favourable result from the match between Great Britain and Ireland.
India coach Sjoerd Marijne, who said the game was “bad for his heart”, walked around the athlete’s village, where he bumped into a few of his players. “It was quite funny. We weren’t too keen to watch the game. The wi-fi does not connect everywhere in the village. So that was good,” he told Sportstar .
Marijne finished his walk, but the Great Britain game was still on. “I went to the gym and worked out a little extra just to be busy and take my mind off the game. A friend of mine was texting me, and Great Britain was leading 2-0, and I said, ‘text me only if Great Britain scores’.”
Skipper Rani Rampal wanted the game to end. “Our hearts were pounding, and we wanted the game to be over as soon as possible.”
RELATED |
Marijne’s wife informed the coach that Ireland had lost 2-0. India had made it to the knockouts of women’s hockey for the first time in the history of the Games. “It was an emotional moment, and she’s always there for me,” he said. “They (players) were thrilled. We had a big hug and had a circle, and I said, ‘Listen, girls, enjoy the moment. This is what we are doing it for. All the training we’ve done at SAI Bengaluru (Sports Authority of India) and the time we spent in lockdown; it all comes to this.”
Marijne is keen to make this his Chak De India moment. “I’ve watched the movie, and I am writing a book on my journey with the women’s team. Just like in the movie, this has so many experiences. I came here to put women’s hockey on the map, and that’s where we are headed,” he said.
The Indians will face Australia – still undefeated in the tournament – in the quarterfinals. The Aussies have scored 13 goals and conceded just once in the group stage. However, Marijne feels the pressure will be on the world’s second-ranked team.
“I’ve told the team to enjoy the quarterfinal. The competition is wide open now, none of the earlier points count. The pressure is with Australia, not with us,” said Marijne.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):
- At what time will the Indian women's hockey team be in action?
The hockey game against Australia will start today at 8:30 AM IST (12:00 PM local time). - Where to watch Indian events at Tokyo Olympics?
The Sony Sports Network will broadcast Tokyo Olympics live in India.
Sony TEN 3 HD/SD will telecast India events with Hindi commentary while Sony TEN 1 HD/SD and Sony TEN 2 HD/SD will have English commentary.
Live streaming of the events will be available on the SonyLIV and JioTV apps.
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