India defeated four-time champions South Korea 2-1 to clinch their maiden Women's Junior Hockey Asia Cup title in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan on Sunday.
While Annu (22') and Neelam (41') scored a goal each for India, it was the team's collective efforts that ultimately led to their triumphant victory.
India started the game on an attacking note by winning a penalty corner in the opening minute of the game, but they failed to capitalise on it. Later, Korea shifted the momentum in their favour by controlling the possession. They also won an early penalty corner but Neelam made a goal-line clearance to deny Korea from taking the lead. Despite both teams playing attacking game, the first quarter ended goalless.
Korea stuck to their attacking approach in the second quarter as well. They were also awarded quite a few penalty corners, however, India not only stood strong in defence to keep the opposition's attackers at bay, but also put Korea under pressure by taking the lead through Annu who calmly converted a penalty stroke.
India's lead didn't last long as Seoyeon Park (25') scored an equaliser for Korea through a well-placed shot from inside the D. The second quarter didn't witness anymore goals as both teams went into the half-time break with the score levelled at 1-1.
The second half of the match started with Korea focused on keeping the possession, while the Indian team switched to counter-attacking. It paid off as Neelam brilliantly converted a penalty corner to put India in front as the third quarter ended with the score 2-1.
India shifted their focus on controlling the tempo of the game by keeping possession in the fourth quarter, while, on the other hand, Korea made a few errors and misdirected passes in their desperation of finding an equaliser. Ultimately, India stood strong won the final 2-1.
Speaking about the match, captain Preeti said, "Following a 1-1 draw in the round-robin stage, we were acutely aware of the specific areas we needed to excel in order to overcome Korea. The final match brought about a considerable amount of nerves. However, we knew that as a team we have to play our best game to achieve something special and that's exactly what we did. We are elated to make our nation proud."
With the title win, India also secures a spot in the FIH Women's Junior World Cup 2023 in Chile. Before this, India's best-ever finish in the tournament was in 2012 edition in Bangkok when they entered the final for the first time, only to lose to China 2-5.
Hockey India Executive Board has announced a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh for each player, while the support staff will receive Rs 1 lakh each.