Asia Cup 2022: India sail through to semis, qualify for FIH World Cup

A dominant performance from the Indian hockey team earned them a semi-final spot at the ongoing 2022 Asia Cup in Muscat, Oman on January 24 (Monday).

India thrashed Singapore with a formidable 9-1 scoreline, bringing an end to the group stage matches. With this, India, along with Japan, South Korea and China, fetched an automatic qualification for the 2022 FIH World Cup.

The experienced Indian team got off the blocks quickly as they scored four goals in the first quarter. It was a structured and dominant Indian attack which put them on top throughout the match.

Gurjit Kaur looked fierce as she bagged a hat-trick while Monika and Jyoti each scored a brace as defending champions India overwhelmed lowly Singapore.

Monika opened the scoreboard for India as she struck the first goal through a clear-cut reverse flick in the 6th minute of the match. Meanwhile, in no time Vandana Kataria and Gurjit provided the team with a brilliant 3-0 lead. Gurjit successfully converted back-to-back Penalty Corners in the 8th minute of the match,

Just a few minutes later young forward Mariana Kujur converted another PC to give the team a 4-0 lead in the 10th minute. Capitalizing on the momentum, Monika made no mistake in bagging India's fifth and her second goal of the match in the 17th minute.

The Indian team stood tall and there wasn't much left for the Singapore hockey side to do in the middle. Pushing for more opportunities within the striking circle of their opponent, India continued their attack to gain yet another PC.

Drag flick specialist Gurjit with precision converted the penalty corner in the 37th minute of the match to attain a 6-0 advantage.

However, after constant efforts team Singapore earned a hard fought PC to fetch their first goal of the match in the 43rd minute. Li Min Toh scored for Singapore.

Within a few seconds, Jyoti smartly found the back of the net to make the scoreline 7-1 in the 43rd minute towards the end of the third quarter. Whereas Gurjit, who was on a roll, went on to add a goal for India in the 48th minute as the scoreline read 8-1. It was her third goal of the match.

India continued to dominate the proceedings as Jyoti struck the final goal for India with just a few minutes left for the final blow. Thus the match ended with a 9-1 score.

India will now take on South Korea in the Asia Cup semifinal.

Goals:

Gurjit (8', 37', 48') converted two penalty corners, while Monika (6', 17') and Jyoti (43', 58') scored two field goals apiece. Vandana Katariya (8') and Mariana Kujur (10') were not behind as they contributed to the team's emphatic win in the Asia Cup with one goal each.

Asia Cup 2022: Semifinal Schedule

Semifinal 1:

India vs South Korea: January 26

Timings: 6:00pm (IST)

Semifinal 2:

Japan vs China: January 26

Timings: 8:30pm (IST)