That's it from all of us here - this is Subhashish signing off - do join us when the Indian men play Sri Lanka tomorrow at 14-30 IST - and of course, do tune in for the ladies semifinal on Wednesday!!
THE INDIANS HAVE A DAY'S REST BEFORE THE SEMI-FINAL - TODAY'S LAST MATCH OF THE DAY BETWEEN JAPAN AND MALAYSIA WILL DECIDE WHO THE INDIANS WILL PLAY IN THE LAST-FOUR STAGE.
RANI RAMPAL RETURNED TO ACTION WITH A BANG AFTER MISSING THE LAST TWO MATCHES - SHE SCORED A HAT-TRICK AND WAS THE LIVEWIRE UP FRONT- A WELCOME SIGN FOR THE INDIANS BEFORE WEDNESDAY'S SEMIFINAL
THE STATS, LADIES AND GENTS - THE INDIANS HAD 23 SHOTS ON GOAL (17 FROM OPEN PLAY), WHILE THE THAI GIRLS HAD ONE SHOT ON GOAL FROM OPEN PLAY AND NO PCs. THE INDIANS EARNED 6 PCs - DEEP GRACE, RANI, AND GURJIT TRIED THEIR VERY BEST BUT ALISSA NARUEANGRAM IN GOAL WAS JUST TOO GOOD!!!
INDIAN GOALIE RAJANI FINALLY GOT A TOUCH OF THE BALL WHEN SHE PADDED NASHA JUTAWIJITTAM'S SHOT AWAY IN THE VERY LAST MINUTE OF PLAY - THAI GOALIE ALISSA NARUEANGRAM HAD AN EXCELLENT MATCH AND BLOCKED AT LEAST THREE CERTAIN GOALS - AFTER SHE WAS REPLACED BY SIRAYA YIMKRAJANG IN THE 50TH MINUTE, GOALSCORING BECAME AN EASIER TASK FOR THE INDIANS.
THREE GOALS WERE SCORED AFTER THE GOALIE WAS REPLACED!!
"KEEP THE SPEED HIGH AND PUSH MORE BALLS IN - BE PATIENT" SAYS SJOERD MARIJNE AS THE INDIANS WONDER WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO GET PAST THE THAI GOALIE ONE MORE TIME!!!
THE INDIANS WILL BE HOPING THAT THE THAI GIRLS DO NOT MANAGE TO SCORE A SUDDEN SURPRISE GOAL AGAINS T THE RUN OF PLAY - BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES HAVE YET TO FIND AN OPENING GOAL - THE THAI DEFENCE HAS BEEN BRILLIANT - AND THE INDIANS HAVE NOT BEEN SHARP ENOUGH
17' A GOLDEN CHANCE YET AGAIN BUT THE INDIANS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE A SHOT - SUPERB WORK BY THE THAI GOALIE WHO LEAVES HER MARK AND NARROWS THE ANGLE
EVEN STEVENS IN Q1 - THE INDIANS HAVE MANAGED TO ATTACK MORE OFTEN - BUT HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET THE FINAL LETHAL PASSES RIGHT - THE THAI MARKING HAS BEEN EXCELLENT THUS FAR - CAN THEY HOLD ON?
