Hockey eves make maiden entry into quarters

The Indian women's hockey team made a historic entry into the quarterfinals, finishing fourth in Pool A after Ireland were beaten 2-0 by Great Britain in the final league match on Saturday.
Hockey eves make maiden entry into quarters

TOKYO: The Indian women's hockey team made a historic entry into the quarterfinals, finishing fourth in Pool A after Ireland were beaten 2-0 by Great Britain in the final league match on Saturday.

India had defeated South Africa 4-3 in their last league match early in the day but their passage to the knockout stage depended on the result of the match between defending champions Great Britain and Ireland as the latter was placed fifth in the group and could finish fourth ahead of India.

Forward Vandana Katariya scored in the 4th, 17th and 49th minutes for her treble while Neha Goyal contributed one goal as India went ahead three times only to see the South Africans regroup and level score on all three occasions.

For India to qualify, Great Britain had to beat Ireland and that's what happened in a well-fought match on Saturday. A victory for Ireland would have taken them to six points, the same as India but the Irish would have qualified on better goal difference.

However, Ireland's defeat meant India finished fourth in their pool behind Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain.

India will meet former champions Australia in their quarterfinal match on Monday. It will be Netherlands vs New Zealand; Spain vs Great Britain and Germany vs Argentina in the other quarterfinals.

This is a historic feat and a maiden entry in the quarterfinals for India, who are playing only their third Olympics after appearances in 1980, in which women's hockey made its debut, IANS

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