Nov. 17, Rajgir (Bihar) (IANS) At the Rajgir Hockey Stadium on Sunday, the Indian women's hockey team defeated Japan 3-0 in their final group stage match of the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024. Japan, who finished fourth on the table, will face the reigning champions again in the semi-final on November 19 after they finished first in the standings without dropping a single point.

Japan played excellent defense in the first half, but India won thanks to goals from Deepika (47', 48') and Navneet Kaur (37') in the second half.
India pushed Japan back at the start of the game with a patient, slow buildup. With six minutes remaining in the first quarter, Deepika drew a foul in the circle, earning them a penalty corner. Despite dominating possession in Japan's half, they were unable to generate many meaningful chances. Japanese goalie Yu Kudo made a strong save despite her strong low flick. India demonstrated a sense of urgency as the quarter came to an end; Manisha and Neha worked together to secure another penalty corner, but they were unable to capitalize, and the first quarter ended without a goal.

Japan had greater ball control at the beginning of the second quarter and attempted to penetrate India's shooting circle but was unsuccessful. Despite exchanging circle entries, neither team had any obvious chances to score until India.

However, the Japanese defense hurried to make a number of close-range saves. Japan took the initiative and forced India back into their shooting circle as the half came to an end, but the Indian defense held strong and the score remained at 0-0.

India got off to a strong start in the third quarter. Salima Tete swiftly relayed it to Deepika after Lalremsiami drove through the center. But it was easy to clear away her tame shot. Even with India's superiority, Japan was unmoved until Navneet Kaur took action with eight minutes remaining in the quarter. 

The game then became more end-to-end as Japan broke out of their defensive position in an attempt to equalize. But neither team was able to generate a clear scoring opportunity, and India led 1-0 at the end of the third quarter.

India started the final quarter with a penalty corner. India's lead was doubled on the third retake when Deepika hit a strong low flick towards the right post. In the very next minute, India exerted pressure and was awarded another penalty corner. Deepika made it 3-0 for India this time by driving the ball past the goalie and into the goal. After that, India dominated the game and made sure they won again to close out the group stage.