India sail into semis

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India’s 2-1 win over Malaysia earned them a place in the semi-finals of the junior Asia Cup hockey tournament.

The Indian women’s team rallied from a goal down to beat Malaysia 2-1 in their final league match of the 6th junior Asia Cup hockey championship in Bangkok on Monday.

The win also guaranteed India a semi-final berth as they finished second in Group A behind China.
In a must-win match for India, both the teams played out a goal-less first half.
Norazlin Sumantri scored for Malaysia within a minute of resumption but Anupa Barla (52nd minute) and skipper Ritu Rani (65th minute) ensured that India would make it to the last four stage.
Ten minutes after Malaysia took the lead, India started to dominate the proceedings and held sway in the last 25 minutes. Barla’s strike capped a good pass by vice-captain and fellow forward Poonam Rani.
Ritu’s 65th minute conversion of a penalty corner sealed the issue for India.
India’s defenders toiled hard to keep Malaysia at bay as the side scored their third win in four matches — they had beaten Sri Lanka and Singapore in earlier games before losing to China.
India will next face the winners of Group B — either Korea or Japan — in the semi-final on July 5.