India’s women’s hockey team creates history by winning against Australia in the quarterfinal match that happened on Monday. Before this match, Australia was considered a favorite in the tournament as they were the three-time champions. Whereas India’s women’s team was ranked the world no.9.
But India defeated Australia with a phenomenal gritty performance to reach the semi-final spot for the first time in Olympics. A day after India’s men’s team entered the semi-final in the Olympics after 49 years. It took a Gurjit Kaur drag-flick from a penalty corner which gave India the lead in the first corner.
Australian women’s team tried their best to level the scores, despite getting several penalty corner opportunities throughout the match, two of those coming in the final quarter. But India’s defender Monika along with goalkeeper Savita was ready for the challenge. They made sure that Australia doesn’t make those opportunities count.
Previously, India’s best performances in the Olympics came way back in the 1980 Moscow Games where they finished fourth out of six teams. It was during that edition India’s women’s team made a debut in the Olympics and the sport was played in a round-robin format with two top teams qualifying for the finals.
India’s opponent in the semi-finals will be Argentina who in their previous match defeated Germany with a score of 3-0 to reach the semi-finals. As India entered the semi-finals, they made themselves qualified to play in the medal match in this Tokyo 2020. The semi-final between India and Argentina will be played on Wednesday.
