India vs South Korea Hockey Highlights, Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024: Deepika’s late strike hands India a 3-2 win

Harendra Singh comment: Happy with the result. Three points on the table. But I think we could have scored at least 7, 8 goals. Like yesterday, today also our players are rushing when trying to score. They are not looking for the right choice. So I think now we will go back and see the video and analyze now. Tomorrow we have the rest day so we can go for the individual 1v1 meetings and teach them to polish the finner points where they can score more goals and take some time. We are too rushing to score the goal.

triker Deepika converted a penalty stroke three minutes from the final hooter to lead India to a tense 3-2 win over South Korea in the women's Asian Champions Trophy, here Tuesday. India raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Sangita Kumari (3rd minute) and Deepika (20th, 57th) before Korea mounted a strong comeback in the third quarter and drew parity with goals from Yuri Lee (34th) and skipper Eunbi Cheon (38th). The match headed for an exciting finish with both teams pushing for that deciding goal and it was Deepika, who scored from the spot to seal India's second consecutive victory in the tournament.

-  India lead 2-0 at half time

- Korea strike back in Q3 to make it 2-2

- Deepika nets a late winner for India A thrilling 3-2 encounter in Rajgir

PHEW WHAT A MATCH! 

India were nearly punished for a poor 3rd quarter, but they managed to find a late goal by Deepika to go up 3-2... and then nearly Korea managed to equalise once more with literally the last play of the match. 

NEARLY A LAST SECOND EQUALISER! Kim Seona with a shot across goal and it nearly finds Hong Huigyeong at the far post! INCHES AWAY FROM A LAST GASP GOAL.

Bichu throws her arm up in celebration. India have just about managed to hang on for a 3-2 win 

CHANCE NAVNEET KAUR! That's the mixed bag we were speaking about. Neha finds Navneet with time to shoot from a central area, and the Indian vice captain goes for power rather than placement. Hits it straight at the goalie. We are into the final minute now. 

DEEPIKA STRIKES! Just relief on Deepika's face after her first goal but this time she is jumping with joy. She makes no mistake from the penalty stroke and India have the lead late on once more. 

PENALTY STROKE FOR INDIA! Navneet has had a mixed bag of a night in all honesty but going forward from open play, she has been India's best player arguably. She draws a foul, deemed to be a breakdown tackle on her inside the area, and India have a stroke. 

Deepika is there for her drag flick to come good now. First attempt results in a retake. 

OH CLOSE! Deepika's low flick is nearly deflected by Vaishnavi but the rebound off the goalkeeper hits the Indian on her foot. 

CHANCE INDIA! Deepika finds Navneet in space in front of goal but the shot is saved. But India do manage to win a PC at the end of that move. And there is a green card for Korea too. Two minutes for India to increase the pressure with 4.30 left 

PENALTY CORNER INDIA: They have piled the pressure on finally have a PC to show for their efforts. 

Oh, but friendly fire in the end. Navneet Kaur takes the low hit on goal and the ball thuds into Lalremsiami who was trying to slide in with a deflection. Siami seems quite badly hurt there. 

OH! Navneet does well to win a PC but the referee quickly changes her mind to play advantage with the ball still loose in the danger area. But the scramble doesn't help India. A missed opportunity there perhaps, as Harendra has hands on his head. 

Nearly something out of nothing! Udita is nearly falling over but she manages to hit a long pass along the ground all the way from defence to Sangita Kumari down the right flank. The No 14 dribbles from outside to inside the circle and somehow manages to get a shot away while falling too but Kim Eunji cuts down the angle very well. 

Into the last 7 mins, India left frustrated. 

CHANCE! Sunelita with some space at the edge of the circle. It didn't seem like a shot on goal, more a guided pass but Beauty's dummy nearly catches the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Eunji off guard. 

India pressing here. 

The first 4-5 mins of the final quarter have at least been not sloppy from India defensively. Korea have stepped back so that helps a bit. 

Sharmila with a nice steal as we say that, and Preeti has a chance to drive into Korea's circle. But there is a pause of play after a Korean defender is caught on the face 

Salima steps up on the gas to start the final quarter, finds Deepika with a pass from right. The forward drives into the circle but rushes her shot on goal and it is far too high. Once again, lack of composure in the final third. 

Well, in complete contrast to Q3 yesterday night, India have completely let things slip in Q3. Two goals conceded, some silly fouls, review lost and a yellow card at the end that will see them down to 10 players for the next three minutes or so. 

YELLOW CARD FOR INDIA: This quarter has been quite ordinary all around for India. Just as they were mounting a fightback, Sharmila Devi is given a yellow card for a deemed cynical foul from behind. FIVE MINUTES OFF. (Yellow seems harsh on replays) 

India have been awakened for sure. This time Beauty does well to find Sunelita, a nice pass from the left to the teenager who has space to shoot from the edge of the circle. But... again the final touch isn't great, as she shoots high and wide too. 

Navneet Kaur drives India forward down the middle, showing her excellent dribbling skills. The ball forward is a good one too from the Indian vice captain as Beauty is in space. She opens her shoulders to fire a shot at goal but it is high and wide. Should have done better.

Another chance for Beauty in the final third but this time her pass is awry. Couple of not-so-great moments for the young forward. 

Udita will take India's first PC and her hit on goal is saved well, and there is an almighty scramble but eventually India keep the ball in danger areas long enough to win a retake. 

There are actually four straight PCs for India and Korea hold them off on each occasion. Navneet took the last hit. Korea somehow avoid conceding there after repeated scrambles. 

India needed a wake up call, really. They have been poor for 8 minutes or so. And sure enough, they go down the other end quickly and Beauty does well to win India's first Penalty Corner of the night. 

Eunbi Cheon makes no mistake. This is a superb fightback from Korea and quite sloppy all around by India. The foul wasn't too rash but avoidable nevertheless but the review was ill-advised for sure. Savita guess the right direction but the shot is powerful enough to sound the board and India have been pegged back. 

Oh dear! India are caught sleeping somewhat in this second half. A penalty stroke has been given after a foul committed by Vaishnavi. Ishika wants to review this, doesn't seem like a good idea. And of course, India lose their referral too. 

BIG CHANCE! Oh nearly a goal for India immediately after conceding! Preeti Dubey shows good stick control just in front of Korea's goal and manages to beat the goalkeeper but there is a defender on the line. 

AND KOREA SCORES! Savita gets down to her right to save the first attempt on goal. But Navneet on the post, is not able to clear the rebound. Another mishit from the vice captain there. Had to do better. Yuri Lee pounces and lofts the ball over a prone Savita. 

India a bit lethargic at the start of the 2nd half. They now concede a PC... and they have to deal with a defender short after they jump on the gun. 

BIG CHANCE FOR KOREA! Kim Seona does superbly down the left channel of India's circle and fires a pass across goal. Park Mihyang is inches away from getting a finishing touch. So close. Korea nearly start the second half strongly. 

Official stats show India had 9 circle penetrations (think it might have been more) and 65% possession. 

Solid first half this. A bit measured in the first quarter but plenty of chances in the second. Conversion still not the best, but there is an improvement inside the circle in term of picking the right pass / shot. A bit more luck / better ball-connection could still see them rack up a good score. 

That would have been SOME GOAL! Salima Tete turns on the afterburners as she often does, powers through nearly half of Korean territory to release Beauty into space down the right flank. Beauty's pass back into the middle finds Deepika but she strikes the goalkeeper again. Superb chance, just the final touch missing. 

End of the first half with that... 

That is another chance spurned by India when they had numbers on their side with Korea pushing forward. Navneet found Beauty to her left but it looked like she played on after the ball found her foot and that results in a green card for the young Jharkhand forward. 

CHANCE NAVNEET! Oh that's a mishit. Just clean air from the Indian vice captain. Preeti with a good cutback from the right into the central area and Navneet didn't connect. She'd be disappointed with that, she is better than that. 

BIG CHANCE! Deepika, now playing with a spring in her step, does quite well to find Sangita centrally, who does well to get a shot away and it is inches wide of the post. 

Sunelita with another sharp pass this time directly to Deepika and the reverse hit is well struck but straight at the goalkeeper.

DEEPIKA STRIKES! Sunelita Toppo, the young midfield dynamite with a bright future, combines superbly with Beauty and the latter cuts the ball back into danger area in front of goal. And Deepika sweeps it home for her first goal. The reaction said it all, more relief than joy as she finally gets her name on the scoresheet. 

That's the end of the opening quarter. After a quick lead at the start of the match, India have opted to keep things a bit more simple tonight instead of just pouring forward. A few more passe between the defenders today to recycle possession, seems to be a more measured approach today. 

Deepika with a good steal just on the edge of circle but dribbles the ball on to her foot after that. You could see the frustration building on her face. Could really use a goal. 

Deepika with some strong shielding and she manages to get a green card for her marker. Shortly after, she is trying to bulldoze her way through the Korean defence, but eventually stopped just in front of goal. 

Siami does well down the left flank this time, she turns sharply and hits a pass into the circle. Initially there is no Indian stick at the end of it but Sharmila does really well to keep the ball in play, and nearly finds Sangita in front of goal. But Korea deal with it. 

Lalremsiami does superbly deep in India's territory, boxed in by the corner of the turf and surrounded by a Korean forward press, but wins a free out. 

At least four times already in this opening quarter where Navneet Kaur has broken the Korean defensive lines with clever passes. She played a lot more forward on the left yesterday but seems to be a bit withdrawn today, more central and she is dictating India's tempo. 

Green card for Manisha Chauhan after a somewhat rash shoulder barge it seems, and she will miss two minutes of action. 

Shortly after, Preeti has a shot at goal but the attempt is scuffed. 

SANGITA KUMARI AGAIN! It's the striker from Simdega who puts India in the lead once more, just like she did last night. Neha and Navneet -- who combine well often having played a lot of their hockey together -- put Sangita through on goal, who actually takes a touch or two to turn and find space and finds the back of the net. Korea review this asking for backstick and it is not given. GOAL STANDS.

That through ball from Navneet was classy. 

Neha with a nice pass through the middle of the pitch, straight as an arrow to Deepika who cut in from the right but her pass is cut out. 

Deepika had flashes of brilliance last night but would like to add a goal or two to her name. 

India once again will be eyeing a fast start but Korean hockey is known for its strong defensive structures. 

Here we go then. Navneet with a good little run at the start of it all but Korea hold strong. 

Korea's first, followed by India's... and the atmosphere once again seems electric in Rajgir, where fans have turned up in good numbers for the first ever international hockey tournament hosted in Bihar. 

Harendra Singh once again reiterates that he wants the forwards and attacking players to take the right decisions inside the circle, and not be rushed. The receiving and the first touch is paramount, he adds. Korea's coach Lim Jung Woo says he is aware of India's speed but points to the result against Thailand and Japan earlier today (1-1) to prove results are not predictable. 

In their last 17 matches, both teams have won 7 each while three matches have ended in draws. 

Thailand, meanwhile, bounced back quite nicely after their heavy defeat against China, to hold Japan to a 1-1 draw. 

China, despite sending a secondary team, continue to set the pace in the tournament. With a strong Q4 performance, they beat Malaysia 5-0. China had beaten Thailand 15-0 in their opening game.

Penalty Corner conversion has been a constant area of concern for the Indian team, and even on Monday night, they struggled for large parts to get it right. But the final picture didn't make for too bad a reading as three of their four goals came from set-piece situations (out of 11 penalty corners won). In the 8th minute, Sangita came up with a poacher's finish after Deepika – the primary drag flicker in the side – adjusted well to a PC routine that didn't work out, to keep the ball in play and fire in a pass to the far post. That extra second she took to make the right decision, is what Harendra wanted to see more of.

After 35 frustrating minutes of trying to break down the Malaysian defence, India hit twice in two minutes, both from PC situations once more. First, Navneet Kaur found Preeti Dubey – who had worked all night, hitting the post once and firing straight at the goalkeeper another time – managed to get on the scoresheet with an acute deflection. Then came a direct hit on goal from Udita that flew past goalkeeper Siti Nasir.

But perhaps the most pleasing goal of the night for India would have been the fourth one. Deep from India's half, defender Ishika Chaudhary lifted her head up to scan what's ahead of her, and spotted Sangita in a good position. She hit a long vertical towards the forward, but it was a bouncing pass that needed quick and precise control. Sangita managed to receive it in her stride and the touch was brilliant to open up space between two Malaysian defenders just outside the circle. The 22-year-old dribbled forward and unleashed a sharp reverse-hit finish.

Harendra Singh after India vs Malaysia, on India's finishing:

It's not about working more on finishing. They have chosen the right skill, only thing is that they need to be patient. The ball has to be on the stick at the right moment, especially when the ball is bouncing, that is when we missed being clinical in the cage. That happens when they rush their play, I believe emotional control is important there to create more goals. 

Harendra Singh after India vs Malaysia: 

We are trying a few changes positionally. Sharmila used to be a central striker, we are trying her on the right. Vaishnavi is a midfielder, we are playing her in defence here. Jyoti as well. I feel this is a good way to get the team ready for bigger challenges. The men's team, if you see, anyone can play in any position. When they have the ball, they should understand what the responsibility of that particular position is. We can experiment those things here at ACT, so that we have better fluidity. 

Gurjit Kaur - scorer of the famous goal against Australia at the Olympics in Tokyo – is not in the scheme of things anymore, largely down to her shortcomings in the overall game. Harendra, however, is confident of widening that pool, led by young forward Deepika.

'We are working with the three-four flickers at the moment. Deepika is of course there, but there is also Manisha (Chauhan), who I am trying to develop for the future,' the coach said. 'Deepika had a little bit of style and footwork issue, I think we have rectified that and she is flicking really well at the moment.'

'For four months we have really worked hard on this. In this Olympic cycle, I guarantee at least four or five good flickers. I have the capacity for it, I have worked with guys like Sandeep, Jugraj, Rupinder, Harmanpreet in my time. I am a strong believer in having one really good goalkeeper and drag flicker. I am going to work really hard in this aspect, and I also believe drag flickers should be allrounders like Harmanpreet and not be in the squad just for PCs.'

India's 4-0 win against Malaysia 

India off to a winning start to the Bihar Women's Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024. ???

A comprehensive 4:0 victory over Malaysia to begun the defence of the title. ?

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Presenting Team India’s Starting XI for today’s clash against Korea at the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024! ??

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India's squad:

GOALKEEPERS: Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam

DEFENDERS: Udita, Jyoti, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Ishika Chaudhary

MIDFIELDERS: Neha, Salima Tete, Sharmila Devi, Manisha Chauhan, Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami

FORWARDS: Navneet Kaur, Preeti Dubey, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Beauty Dungdung

“This is the first time I will be leading the team out in a manor international tournament and I am proud that I have been trusted with this responsibility. The mood of the team is very good and we are eager to get the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024 underway. We play against Malaysia first but our minds are set that we need to play as a team, not as individuals and we will win all our matches. This experience will also help us prepare for our mission to qualify for the next Olympics. We are ready, now is the time to show everyone that we are a very fit, high-level team capable of beating the best teams in the world,” Sailma had said before the tournament.