India beat Japan 4-0 to win women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey title

An aggressive Indian women’s team played thrilling hockey from the start as they crushed title holders Japan 4-0 to claim their second Asian Champions Trophy title here on Sunday.

The match started 50 minutes late due to problems with the floodlights.

India defeated the two-time champions through goals from Sangita Kumari (17th minute), Neha (46th), Laremsiami (57th) and Vandana Katariya (60th).

India won its first Asian Champions Trophy title in 2016 in Singapore, while Japan lifted the crown twice, in 2013 and 2021.

The Indians started offensively, while Japan preferred to sit back and rely on counterattacks.

India had a golden opportunity to take the lead but Deepika failed to find the net from a one-on-one situation with Japan goalkeeper Akio Tanaka.

The Indians continued to dominate possession while Japan was busy defending.

The Japanese also had their chances, but failed to break through the resolute Indian defense.

Two minutes into the second quarter, India took the lead through Sangita, who scored with a high strike after being fed by Neha Goyal.

The Indians continued their relentless attacks on the Japanese objective but failed to get the finishing touches.

Japan found the net through Shiho Kobayakawa in the second quarter, but the goal was disallowed after India requested a referral for body contact upon receiving the ball.

The Japanese upped their ante in the second quarter with continued attacks, but the Indian defense held firm.

In the 25th minute, Japan secured three consecutive penalty corners but the Indians defended in numbers to deny their opponents.

It was a neck-and-neck battle between the two teams after the change of goal, with both India and Japan pushing hard for goals.

But goals eluded them in the third quarter as both sides’ defenses were up to the task.

The Indians came out on fire in the fourth quarter and pressed hard on the Japanese goal, and their efforts paid off.

A minute into the fourth quarter, India created three consecutive penalty corners. Neha scored from Deep Grace’s goal.

India continued to put pressure on the Japanese defence, leading to success when Lalremsiami scored from a rebound in the 57th minute after Udita’s first goal from a penalty corner was saved by the Japanese keeper.

Just before the final horn, Vandana registered her name on the scoresheet and scored a nice field goal as the Indians registered an emphatic victory.

Earlier in the day, Asian Games champions China defeated South Korea 2-1 to secure third place.

Yi Chen (3rd minute) and Tiantian Luo (47th) scored for the winners, while Sujin An (38th) found the target for Korea.