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India's women's hockey team has done the unthinkable at the Olympics 2021. They beat Australia 1-0 in the quarterfinals and booked a place in the semifinals of the tournament. This will be their first ever semifinal appearance at the Olympics. Sjoerde Marijne, the team's coach, promised surprises before the start of the tournament, and they've delivered.
The Indian Eves were the underdogs in the encounter, which seemed to have helped them in what was their biggest match in history. They were pitted against Australia, who finished first in Pool A. Australia have had the better of the Indians before, but that was not the case today.
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics Hockey Schedule
India took the lead when defender Gurjit Kaur, who is India's drag-flicker, put the ball in the back of the net from a penalty corner. Once the goal was scored, it was a matter of just sitting deep and not allowing the Australians to come back, and India did that to great effect.
India's defense line held its composure and did not allow an inch for their opponents. They were neat in their blocks, made interceptions and did not let the ball hit their goal.
Goalkeeper Savita was the star of the day. Australia won a total of seven penalty corners, but Savita stood in front of the goal like a rock and did not let any ball through. She made two very crucial saves from open play as well, making a total of nine saves during the game.
Australia decided not to go with a sweeper in the last minutes of the game. India saw the game out and booked a place in the last four of the competition.
A golden chapter at the Olympics for India
This year's Olympics marks only the third appearance for the Indian women's team in the competition. Having lost the first three games in the tournament, India's turnaround has been nothing short of a miracle, one that all their fans must be cherishing right now.
India will now face Argentina in the semifinal on the 4th of August at 3:30 PM IST. India are within touching distance of a medal, just one win away from history.
Also read - India at Olympics 2021
