Already through to the semifinals, India thrashed South Korea 5-0 with Salima Tete scoring a brace in their last league match to maintain their unbeaten run and top the table in the women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament.
Salima scored in the sixth and 36th minutes while Navneet Kaur struck from a penalty corner — also in the 36th minute. Vandana Katariya (49th) and Neha (60th) were the other goal scorers for India.
With 15 points from an all-win league campaign, India topped the six-team table and face South Korea again in the semifinals on Saturday. South Korea ended at fourth spot with seven points. Under the tournament format, the top team after the round-robin league plays the fourth-place finisher in the semifinals while the teams finishing second and third face each other.
China ended at second spot after beating Japan 1-0 in another match of the day. Both China and Japan ended on same nine points. The two sides could not be separated on the basis of goal difference (+9 each) and goals scored (12 each). China finished second on the basis of head-to-head result.
China and Japan face again in the semifinals on Saturday. India was leading 1-0 at the half time but the double strike — one field goal each from Salima and Navneet — in the 36th minute changed the complexion of the game.
Veteran Vandana struck a field goal in the 49th minute to take the match beyond Siouth Korea’s reach. Neha then completed the tally in the final minute through a field effort.
India earned four penalty corners in the match from which they converted one. South Korea earned just one PC in the entire match. India have had a dominating run in the tournament so far, having beaten Thailand (7-1), Malaysia (5-0), China (2-1) and Japan (2-1). The last match between India and South Korea — during the Hangzhou Asian Games — had ended in a 1-1 draw. India lost 0-4 to China in the semifinals of the Asian Games but defeated Japan 2-1 to clinch the bronze medal. India have won the Asian Champions Trophy only once — in 2016 — while they were runners-up twice, in 2013 and 2018.
