In their second match of the Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023 held Monday in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, the Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team defeated Malaysia with a score of 2-1.
Mumtaz Khan (10') and Deepika (26') each of Indian team scored a goal to help India win the match and maintain their position in Pool A after Dian Nazeri (6') took a goal for Malaysia.
India played in attack mode from the beginning of the game, which helped them win a few penalty corners early but was unable to capitalize on them, whereas Malaysia focused on maintaining possession. A few moments after the game, Malaysia started to counterattack which resulted in them getting a goal, Dian Nazeri (6'), who was standing undefended in the D, achieved this goal and gave a lead to her team. The first half of the match ended with the score tied at 1-1, but India came back into the game a few minutes later when Mumtaz Khan (10') scored an equalizer through a penalty corner.
India took the lead in the second quarter, as the strategy paid off when Deepika (26') got a penalty strike which easily converted the team at the front. The Indian team continued to attack to accelerate their lead, but there were no more goals left in the second half, and India led 2-1 at the half.
The third quarter began with the same force as the second, with India continuing to lead the match by maintaining possession of the ball and putting a lot of pressure on Malaysia's defense. Whatsoever, the third quarter was finished off with not getting any score and India led 2-1.
In the fourth quarter, India was all focused to maintain their possession of the ball while Malaysia stepped up their game to score an equalizer. To ensure that Malaysia need to spend more time on defending than attacking, Indian players began to play more aggressively. The match however resulted in a positive and India won 2-1.
The third match in Pool A for the Indian Junior Women's Hockey Team will take place against Korea on June 6, Tuesday.
