India, who leads the Asian Champions Trophy hockey competition and is undefeated thus far, will have a psychological edge over South Korea when they play in the semifinals.
When they play in the semifinals of the women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Ranchi on Saturday, undefeated India will have a psychological advantage over South Korea after defeating them handily in the league phase. India finished the round-robin league phase with an undefeated record after defeating South Korea 5-0 on Thursday. With a maximum of 15 points from five games, the Indians concluded the round robin stage leading the way, followed by Korea in fourth place with seven points from two victories, two losses, and one draw.
The Indians are keen to keep up their winning streak because they have outperformed their rivals in the competition.
India, however, needs to be careful not to become complacent and cannot afford to let up during the crucial stages of the competition since they are only two victories away from winning the championship.
Thus far in the competition, the Indians have performed admirably in every area.
The defence, commanded by captain Savita Punia, has put up a valiant fight, giving up just three goals, but the forward line and midfield’s coordination was amazing to see as India scored 21 goals.
Despite her happiness, India’s head coach Janneke Schopman believes the knockout games will be very different.
“In this competition, the squad has shown incredible resiliency and cohesion. The win over Korea in the group stage was outstanding, but we are aware that the semifinals would provide a completely different challenge because a knockout game always carries extra pressure,” the player stated.
Savita, the captain of India, will be aiming for victory.
“Our goal is to secure a position in the final by repeating our recent victory over Korea. Our goal is to provide a performance that honours this team’s commitment and labour of love,” Savita stated.However, based on their head-to-head record, South Korea is ahead. Of the 21 games that the two teams have played, Korea has won 12, while India has won 6. Three of the games were drawn.
