India beat Korea to win the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 title

The Indian junior women’s hockey team became the champions of the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 after defeating Korea 2-1 in a thrilling final match held at Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan on Sunday. While Annu (22′) and Neelam (41′) scored a goal each for India, it was the team’s collective effort that eventually secured their triumphant victory in this crucial encounter.

Notably, this is the first time India has won the Women’s Junior Asia Cup.

Recognizing the exceptional performance of the team and their undefeated streak in the prestigious tournament, for securing them a place in the FIH Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 in Chile, the Hockey India Executive Board proudly announced a cash prize of INR 2.00 Lakh each Have done The players, while the support staff will receive INR 1.00 Lakh each as a token of appreciation.

Expressing his congratulations, Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey lauded the Indian junior women’s team for their stupendous achievement and said, “We are filled with immense pride as the Indian junior women’s team has won its first Junior Asia Cup Won, leaving us all in awe. His extraordinary display of talent and determination has been really promising. This win has cemented their position as a dominant force in the region, and I firmly believe that it will serve as a strong foundation for their upcoming challenge at the Junior World Cup later this year. To recognize their outstanding achievement, Hockey India has decided to award cash prizes to the players. I heartily congratulate the team and the dedicated support staff for their untiring efforts in bringing laurels to the nation.

Further, Shri Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General, Hockey India extended his heartiest congratulations to the team for their victorious campaign and appreciated the exceptional display of character and sportsmanship of the team in each and every match. “In each match, the team has consistently displayed remarkable character and embodied the true spirit of the game. The team’s continuous victories in the Junior Asia Cup shows that the future of hockey in India is in safe hands. The title win also serves as a strong testament to the effectiveness of Hockey India’s national program for young and budding players. I heartily congratulate the team and the dedicated support staff for their untiring efforts in helping the Indian team win its maiden Women’s Junior Asia Cup.

India started aggressively by winning a penalty corner in the opening minute of the game but failed to capitalize on it. However, Korea turned the momentum in their favor by counter-attacking and controlling possession. They also won an early penalty corner but Neelam made a goal-line clearance to prevent Korea from taking the lead. Despite aggressive play from both teams, the first quarter ended goalless.

Korea continued their offensive in the second quarter as well and thus put India on the back foot. Correa was also awarded a few penalty corners, however, India not only stood strong in defense to keep out the opposition’s attackers, but also put Correa under pressure by taking the lead through Annu (22′), who calmly converted the penalty. stroke changed.

However, India’s lead did not last long as Seon Park (25′) equalized for Korea through a well-placed shot from inside the D. The second quarter saw no goals as both teams went into the half-time break with a score of 1–1.

The second half of the match began with Korea concentrating on keeping possession while the Indian team went on the counter-attack and it was paid for as Neelam (41′) brilliantly converted a penalty corner to put India ahead. Done as the third quarter came to an end. Score 2-1 in favor of Indian team.

To protect their lead, India focused on defending and controlling the pace of the game by maintaining possession in the fourth quarter, while Korea, on the other hand, in their desperation to equalize, made a few mistakes and went in the wrong direction. Passed , In the end, India stood strong and stuck to their strategy to win the summit clash 2-1.

Meanwhile, talking about the final, Indian junior women’s team captain Preeti said, “After the 1-1 draw in the round-robin stage, we were acutely aware of the specific areas we needed to focus on in Korea. It was necessary to overcome. The final match brought a fair amount of nerves. However, we knew that as a team we would have to play our best to achieve something special and that is exactly what we did. We made our country proud Excited to do.”