India came from behind to outwit Korea 3-1 in the 9th-12th place classification match of the Junior women's hockey World Cup in Santiago. (More Hockey News)
Ropni Kumari (23rd minute), Mumtaz Khan🐠 (44th) and Annu (46th) scored for India, while Jiyun Choi (19th) was the goal-getter for Korea on Thursday.
⭕In the opening quarter, Korea dominated possession and secured the first penalty corner, but they could not utilise the chance.
🐽India, opting for counter-attacks, kept Korea's defence busy but couldn't convert their promising entries to the opposition circle, resulting to a goal-less deadlock after the first 1quarter.
꧃The second quarter mirrored the intensity of the first, with India and Korea persisting in their attacking plays.
𒉰Choi broke the deadlock with a precise penalty corner strike, but India swiftly responded through Ropni, who equalized from another penalty corner.
💙Korea, desperate to regain the lead, ramped up their aggression. Despite their fervent efforts, India’s solid defence thwarted Korea’s advances and counter-attacked skillfully, keeping the pressure on their opponent's defensive line.
💧However, no more goals were scored in the second quarter as both teams entered the half-time break with the score levelled at 1-1.
✨In the third quarter, India dominated the proceedings by keeping possession and troubling Korea’s defence rigorously. The strategy paid dividends as Mumtaz brilliantly slotted the ball home from a penalty corner to give her team the lead.
🐻The penultimate quarter ended 2-1 in favour of India.
꧑India intensified their attacks and extended their lead early in the fourth and final quarter of the game as Annu netted a superb field goal, securing a two-goal advantage for her team.
🅠India continued to unsettle Korea’s defence, maintaining their momentum and denying any chance of a comeback.
ꦿThe victory means that India, who had earlier bowed out of the title contention after finishing third in Pool C, will stand a chance to finish ninth in the tournament when they take on either Chile or USA in their last match on Saturday.
