India's women's hockey team defeated Italy 5-1 in their recent Pool B game to guarantee a spot in the FIH Olympic Qualifiers semifinals in Ranchi. In her 100th game for the nation, Indian defender Udita scored two goals, and other goal scorers included Deepika, Salima Tete, and Navneet Kaur. Germany and India will now play in the semifinals.
During the first half, the USA secured victory over New Zealand following India's win over Italy and grabbed their position in the semifinals.
India struggled through the remainder of the first half, demonstrating a lack of passing and trapping game as well as a slow rate of attack and skill set.
After the intermission, Deepika shot a penalty stroke, after Lalremsiami was brought down in the circle, giving India relief. Salima then stroked a spectacular finish from a tight angle on the right flank to score a goal.
After Navneet Kaur scored her first goal of the tournament with some excellent dribbling and a clever reverse stroke, Udita added another goal in the fourth quarter to celebrate her 100th cap for the team in style.
India will face Germany in the upcoming competition, with confidence after scoring eight goals in two games against the USA. If India wins the semifinal, they will advance to the Paris Olympics. However, winning against Germany will be challenging, as the losers of the two semifinals will face a crucial match on Friday, with the winner joining the finalists at the Olympics.
