India lose 3-4 against Germany in shoot-out, to face Japan for Paris Olympics berth

NEW DELHI: The

Indian women's hockey team

displayed fierce determination but faltered in the crucial phase of the penalty shootout, succumbing to a 3-4 defeat against Germany in the second semifinal of the FIH Olympic Qualifier on Thursday.
The contest extended to a penalty shootout after the teams remained deadlocked at 2-2 during the regulation time.

With this result, Germany secured a coveted spot in the upcoming

Paris Olympics

later this year.
Yet, India finds a silver lining as they have an additional opportunity to secure their Olympics berth by facing Japan in the third-fourth place match on Friday. The top three teams from this tournament will qualify for the Paris Games, and the current world no.5, Germany, will face the USA in the final on Friday.
India's goal-scorers in the regular time were Deepika (15th minute) and Ishika Chaudhary (59th), while Germany's Charlotte Stapenhorst netted both of their goals in the 27th and 57th minutes.

The match unfolded with Germany's relentless attacks, putting continuous pressure on the Indian defense on a foggy night with visibility challenges. Though Germany had a penalty corner disallowed early on, they persisted and earned another in the ninth minute, only to be thwarted by India's captain and goalkeeper, Savita Punia.
While the Indian team made some circle penetrations, their finishing lacked precision. Inspired by the presence of former India cricket team captain MS Dhoni, who attended the game, the home side fought back, securing their first penalty corner in the last minute of the first quarter, and Deepika converted with a powerful drag-flick.

Despite India's growing confidence, the Germans equalized just before halftime, as Stapenhorst scored from a field effort. The third quarter saw Savita making a crucial save, but Germany's relentless attacks eventually broke through in the fourth quarter when Stapenhorst scored her second goal.
India, refusing to surrender, earned back-to-back penalty corners in the 59th minute, with Ishika converting the second, forcing the match into a shootout. Despite Savita making two impressive saves, India failed to capitalize on sudden-death one-on-one situations, handing Germany the victory and a ticket to the Paris Games.