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The Hindu
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
India women's hockey team squanders lead, suffers second consecutive loss against Australia in FIH Pro League
The Indian women's hockey team fought on equal terms against Australia but conceded a last-minute goal to lose 1-2 in its FIH Pro League match in London on Sunday. This was India's second consecutive defeat to the same opponents as they had lost 2-3 on Friday. India took the lead in the third minute through a field goal from Vaishnavi Phalke and they were 1-0 up at half-time. But Australia restored parity in the 37th minute through Amy Lawton. The match was heading towards a draw but Lexie Pickering scored the winner from a penalty-corner variation in the 60th minute to break Indian hearts. India made a bright start to the game by winning three back-to-back penalty corners in the very first minute, adding pressure on the Australian backline. India carried on its momentum and scored the opening goal as early as the third minute to take charge of the match. Navneet Kaur carried the ball forward and passed it to Sharmila Devi to the left. Devi played it to the far post for Vaishnavi to deflect the ball into the net. India continued to pile on the pressure as Navneet came close to extending the lead but narrowly missed the target. With 34 seconds left on the clock, Australia converted a penalty corner to complete their comeback in the match. Tatum Stewart played the perfect pass to Pickering (in picture) who deflected the ball into the net to hand Australia all three points. | Photo Credit: Getty Images Minutes later, Australia won two back-to-back penalty corners towards the end of first quarter but India did well at the back to maintain its lead. Australia improved its performance in the second quarter and started creating goal-scoring chances. Both sides exchanged possession and battled it out in the midfield but they couldn't be separated in the second quarter as India headed into the second half with a goal in hand. Australia was more dominant in the third quarter and caused troubles for the Indian defence. Greta Hayes came teasingly close to scoring a goal as she struck a shot towards an empty net. However, the ball was accidentally stopped by her own teammate. In the 37th minute, Australia was on the attack again and Lawton managed to find the equaliser through a brilliant field goal. Lawton did well to win the ball from an India defender and then unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the circle, past the keeper into the bottom right corner. In the fourth and final quarter, India earned a penalty corner but the Australian keeper was up to the task to keep her side in the contest. In the 54th minute, India won four penalty corners in a row but it failed to find the net. In its third attempt, India was unlucky not to take the lead. Neha fired a shot which took a deflection and struck the post. With 34 seconds left on the clock, Australia converted a penalty corner to complete its comeback in the match. Tatum Stewart played the perfect pass to Pickering who deflected the ball into the net to hand Australia all three points. India next faces Argentina in London on Tuesday. Related Topics India women's hockey team
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Hockey: Deepika's drag flicks give India hope of a late fightback but Australia prevail 3-2 in Pro League
India women's hockey team – like the men earlier in the day – went down against Australia 2-3 in the FIH Pro League but the storyline was slightly different in London compared to what transpired in Antwerp. While the men's team saw a 2-0 lead slip and lost to a late goal against their nemesis Kookaburras, Salima Tete's team mounted a late fightback after going down 3-0, and nearly scripted a solid comeback. But the end result was no points for India at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre on Saturday at the start of their European sojourn where they are in for a fight to stave off relegation from the Pro League. After going three goals down, India fought back through goals from Deepika (44′) and Neha (52′) – both resulting from Penalty Corner situations – but the Australians held their nerve in a fierce final quarter to secure the win. Courtney Schonell (16′), Lexie Pickering (27′) and Tatum Stewart (35′) registered goals for Australia. There was little to separate the two sides in a cagey opening quarter. India adopted a patient approach but were quick to apply pressure on the Australian defence. Australia earned a penalty corner in the 10th minute, but India held firm to deny them. India's best chance came late in the quarter, when a swift attacking move forced Australian goalkeeper Zoe Newman into a sharp double save. But the second quarter resembled a training ground exercise of attack vs defend as India couldn't lay a finger on the Hockeyroos at the other end of the pitch, constantly losing possession and putting the defence under pressure. As early as a minute into the second quarter, Schonell was at the end of a sharp pass from Grace Stewart and finished it with precision to give Australia the lead. In the 27th minute, a turnover from Navneet led to scrappy moments of play and a series of Australian shots on goal. Savita's reflexes held up against two consecutive shots but on the second rebound, Pickering slotted it past the Indian Goalkeeper to double Australia's lead. India were unable to create chances on goal before proceedings broke for half-time. Momentum stayed with Australia as five minutes into the third quarter, Australia earned another penalty corner as their relentless pressure tested the Indian defence. The initial attempt was bravely defended by Sunelita Toppo. However, the sequence led to another penalty corner, which evolved to a penalty stroke as the ball rebounded from Savita's save onto the body of Ishika Chaudhary on the line. India opted to swap goalies just for the stroke but Tatum Stewart stepped up and drilled it past goalkeeper Bichu Devi, extending Australia's lead to 3–0. India found much much-needed respite when they won a penalty corner with 68 seconds left in the quarter. Deepika was at the end of a crisp injection and flicked it in with precision to reduce the deficit to 1-3. The work Harendra Singh has been doing with the drag flickers was there to be seen in the finish. India came out with all guns blazing in the fourth quarter, spurred by their goal. The Indian attack won three consecutive penalty corners in the 46th minute, but the scores were unchanged. India now played with a strong sense of urgency and put Australia under immense pressure. Australia buckled in the 52nd minute when they conceded another penalty scorer. Deepika's low driven shot was well defended, but Neha pounced on the ball in the ensuing chaos and buried it with finesse at close range to make it 2-3. India looked to threaten with a series of quick moves, but the equaliser eluded them. In the dying embers of the match, silky stick work from Navneet helped her glide into the circle before she was brought down for another penalty corner. However, Australia retained the lead to secure the victory. Prior to the start of the match, both teams observed a minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the recent aircraft tragedy in Ahmedabad.
