Hockey: India secured a place in the semi-finals by defeating Japan 2-1 in their second match of Pool ‘A’ in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2026 on Tuesday. India has won both its pool matches so far.
Salima Tete and Lalremsiami became the heroes of victory
In the match played at the North Harbor National Hockey Center in Auckland, captain and ‘Player of the Match’ Salima Tete (33rd minute) and Lalremsiami (49th minute) scored goals for India, while Ai Hiramitsu (35th minute) was the only goalscorer for Japan.
Jyoti’s 100th international match was memorable
It was a memorable match for midfielder Jyoti, who played her 100th senior international match. The first half was a very tough match, in which both the teams created chances but neither team could break the tie till half-time.
exciting journey of competition
The game got thrilling in the third quarter when India scored its first goal in the 33rd minute through a penalty corner. Navneet Kaur’s shot was brilliantly passed by Nikki Pradhan towards Salima and the captain converted it into a goal to give India the lead. However, Japan took control of the match after just 2 minutes. Hiramitsu (35th minute) equalized by scoring from a penalty corner.
India registered victory with a decisive goal
In the last quarter, India’s Lalremsiami scored the winning goal in the 49th minute. Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam made a precise pass towards the goal from the edge of the circle and Lalremsiami put the ball into the net to give India the win.
India on top in Pool ‘A’
With this win, undefeated India moved to the top of Pool ‘A’ with six points gained from wins against USA and Japan. India will face Uruguay in their last match of the tournament on June 18, while Japan and USA will clash for the second semi-final spot from Pool ‘A’.