Amstelveen: The Indian women’s hockey team signed off from the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and the Netherlands 2026 on a high, defeating world No. 5 Germany 3-1 in the fifth-sixth place classification match in Amstelveen, Netherlands, on Thursday.
The victory secured India fifth place, their best finish at the FIH World Cup since the inaugural women’s edition in 1974, when they finished fourth.
After a goalless opening 30 minutes, India produced a superb attacking display in the third quarter, with Navneet Kaur scoring twice and Ishika finding the net once to seal a memorable win.
Both teams began cautiously, although Germany enjoyed greater possession in the early stages. India gradually settled into the contest, with Baljeet Kaur and Sakshi Rana combining effectively down the right flank in the fifth minute. Their move ended with a pass towards captain Salima Tete, but the German defence prevented her from getting a touch.
Both sides made inroads into the circle but struggled to create clear shooting opportunities. Germany came close in the 11th minute when Johanna Hachenberg attempted a reverse hit, only for an Indian defender to make a timely interception.
India responded through Lalremsiami, who received a hit from Shilpi Dabas in the 13th minute before trying to find Navneet inside Germany’s 23-metre area, but the pass ran beyond her teammate.
Germany earned their first penalty corner in the 15th minute after a video referral by India failed to overturn the decision. Bichu Devi initially dealt with the threat, while Germany earned another penalty corner after the ball lifted off an Indian stick during the ensuing scramble. Germany attempted a variation, but a miscommunication allowed the ball to run out of play.
India created their best opportunity of the second quarter when Deepika found Navneet, who set up Lalremsiami, but her effort went wide. Germany earned another penalty corner soon after, but the injection was not clean and India cleared the danger.
Germany’s Ines Wanner also sent an effort wide before India launched a series of attacks. Navneet and Salima Tete combined to test German goalkeeper Finja Starck, who made three successive saves to keep the scores level at half-time.
India finally broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. Neha won possession and quickly released Ishika, who had options on either side but chose to take on the German defence herself. Her determined run ended with a composed finish to give India a 1-0 lead.
India doubled their advantage just a minute later. Sustained pressure earned them a penalty corner, and after Navneet’s first direct attempt struck a German runner, India were awarded another PC. This time, Navneet found the gap with a powerful strike to make it 2-0.
India maintained their momentum into the final quarter and struck again in the 47th minute. Salima found Navneet along the baseline, and the forward brilliantly manoeuvred past two defenders before lifting the ball into the net for her second goal.
Germany tried to respond, with Lynn Krings narrowly missing with a deflection in the 50th minute. Krings eventually pulled one back in the 59th minute, but it proved to be only a consolation.
Germany earned one final penalty corner with 12 seconds remaining, but India’s defence held firm to complete a memorable 3-1 victory.
India ended the tournament with two wins, three draws and one defeat from six matches. Their only loss came against defending champions the Netherlands, while they held higher-ranked China, England and Australia to draws. They also recorded their most prolific World Cup victory by beating South Africa 6-1.
Although India narrowly missed out on a semi-final berth, the fifth-place finish marks significant progress and gives the team confidence ahead of next month’s Asian Games in Japan.
With IANS inputs