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Indian women's hockey team claimed a dramatic 1-0 win over Ireland to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive, with Navneet Kaur netting three minutes from time to earn India their first points at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Navneet Kaur’s fine close-range deflection after taking a cross-shot from skipper Rani Rampal in the 57th minute was the difference between the two teams.
Read: India at Olympics 2021: 3 talking points from India's 1-0 win against Ireland in women’s hockey
Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
However, the team wasted 14 penalty corners - something that might come back to haunt them in the crucial stages of the tournament.
Ireland defended extremely well. Goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran was the star of the show as she made sure none got past her until the final moments.
India’s next match is against South Africa, who are already eliminated from the Olympics.
Hockey team coach not entirely happy
Team coach Sjoerd Marijne wasn’t a completely happy man despite the win, and understandably so. The coach said he was impressed by the way India kept pushing Ireland to gain penalty corner opportunities. He said:
“The only thing we can blame ourselves for is that we didn't score enough. It's not easy to score penalty corners against Ireland, but our performance was not good on a few occasions. But we kept going. Getting 15 PCs (14 PCs) in the match says a lot and I like to talk about the positive that we got those PCs. And the dynamic in our game today was really good and we outplayed Ireland, but you won't see it in the numbers.”
Marijne was happy with India's intensity during the match. He added:
“We kept going in the match, we didn't stop. Three minutes before time, we kept pushing and this match has also shown the quality the team has gained and I am very happy with that. And now, it's all about recovery and getting ready for the next match as we have a game against South Africa in less than 24 hours."
Team captain Rani Rampal remarked the match was played under high pressure. She said:
“We had so many penalty corners and Ireland defended well. We had so many opportunities and we missed so many opportunities. There was a lot of pressure because this was a must-win game for both teams. I am so proud because we stayed calm.”
Also read: India women's Olympic hockey points table: Pool A and Pool B full standings
Also Check Out: Tokyo Olympics Hockey Schedule
