Ranchi, October 31: The Indian women's hockey team secured their fourth consecutive victory at the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy held at the Marang Gomke Jaypal Singh Munda AstroTurf Hockey Stadium here on Tuesday, defeating Japan 2-1.
In this match, Indian player Vandana Katariya created history as she became the first female player from India to play 300 international hockey matches.
The match witnessed a tough competition between the unbeaten India and Japan, resulting in a goalless first half. India opened their account in the 31st minute with a goal by Navneet Kaur. However, Japan equalized with a penalty corner goal by Kanon Uemura in the 37th minute, making it 1-1.
In the fourth and final quarter, the Indian team launched another attack and doubled their lead. India's second goal came from a penalty corner by Sangita Kumari in the 47th minute. With this victory, the host team maintained their unbeaten streak and secured their fourth consecutive win in the tournament.
With 12 points from four matches, India currently leads the points table among six teams. Japan suffered their first defeat in four matches and is in second place.
Earlier, the defending champions China clinched victory over Malaysia with a 4-0 scoreline, thanks to Jiaki Zhong's hat-trick with goals in the 16th, 30th, and 51st minutes. Additionally, Mirong Jou scored a goal in the 22nd minute through a penalty corner. This marked China's second win in four matches, while Malaysia faced their third defeat.
In the previous match, Korea defeated Thailand 3-0, securing their second win in four matches. For Korea, Eugene Lee scored in the 24th minute, Cheyong Jung in the 30th minute, and Suyeong Park in the 32nd minute.
Six teams are participating in this tournament's round-robin league stage, including hosts India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. After the league stage, the top four teams in the points table will qualify for the semi-finals. India is aiming for its first title since 2016, having won silver in 2013 and 2018.
