On December 2, the Indian squad will play their third match of the competition against Belgium.
In their second game of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023, the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team performed admirably, but Germany, the runners-up of the previous edition of the elite tournament, rallied from behind to win 4-3 in an exciting game that took place in Santiago, Chile, on Friday. While Sophia Schwabe (17′), Laura Pluth (21′, 36′), and Carolin Seidel (38′) scored goals for Germany, Annu (11′), Ropni Kumari (14′), and Mumtaz Khan (24′) scored goals for India. India got into a passing rhythm fast, controlling the ball and constantly testing Germany’s defense to dominate the first quarter of the match.
Germany’s strong defense held off India’s early attempts, keeping them from scoring until the last few minutes of the quarter. During this extended stretch of intense pressure, the Indian team was able to win two consecutive penalty corners. Annu (11′) took advantage of the second opportunity, hitting a hard shot to give her team the lead at last. India took the lead shortly after the score was tied when Ropni Kumari (14′) made a beautiful shot from another penalty corner to open the score. India led 2-0 at the end of the first quarter, indicating the team’s strong start.
Germany entered the second quarter with fresh vigor, determined to turn the tide. Their efforts paid off as Sophia Schwabe (17′) cut the deficit for Germany with an outstanding field goal. Utilizing this momentum, Laura Pluth (21′) scored a forceful goal to tie the game. However, India rallied quickly as Mumtaz Khan (24′) expertly put the ball past the opposition’s goalkeeper, turning the tide and putting India ahead once more as they led 3-2 at the interval, according to a release.
India prioritized ball possession in the third quarter in an attempt to hold onto their lead, but Germany was able to tie the score. The game was tied when Laura Pluth (36′) scored her second goal. Germany stepped up their attempts in response to their comeback, taking the lead via to a penalty corner goal from Carolin Seidel (38′).
India stepped up its attacks more often, ready to exact revenge. Nevertheless, by the end of the third quarter, Germany led 4-3 despite their best efforts.
In the last quarter, both teams played with aggression, with Germany nearly increasing their lead. But Indian goalkeeper Madhuri Kindo stopped Germany from going any farther ahead with a one-on-one save of his own. In the last seconds, India was awarded a string of penalty corners but was unable to capitalize. Germany won 4-3, with no goals scored in the final quarter of play.
In their third game of the competition, the Indian squad will play Belgium on December 2 at 18:30 IST.
