The Indian Women's Hockey team (Photo courtesy: Twitter/ANI)
Tokyo: A 57th minute goal by Navneet Kaur gave India a 1-0 win over Ireland and helped Indian women's hockey team keep its quarterfinals hopes alive.
The match was crucial for India in that it was a must-win tussle in the pool fixtures.
After goal-less three quarters, which India completely dominated but failed to breach the Irish defence led by goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran, Navneet finally shook the net in the 57th minute to bring smiles on the Indian faces.
After three losses in a row, India needed a win to remain in the fray for the quarter finals. Despite being the dominant team on display and creating innumerable scoring opportunities, the anxious moments continued for the India squad.
It would speak for how India failed to convert chances, that despite getting 14 penalty corners, the side failed to convert even a single one of them.
But a moment of brilliance from skipper Rani Rampal, who created the opportunity for Navneet, rescued India from an early exit from the Games. Navneet was at the right place at the right time to tap the ball in. India will now need to win their final Pool A match against South Africa on Saturday and hope for Ireland to face defeat at the hands of Great Britain to seal their quarterfinal berth.
The top four teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stage.
(With PTI inputs)