Indian women beat Spain 3-0 to win Spanish Federation hockey tournament | Hockey News

NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s hockey team displayed their dominance and secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over hosts Spain to win the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation – International Tournament in Barcelona on Sunday.

Vandana Katariya opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, followed by Monika in the 48th minute and Udita in the 58th minute, sealing a convincing win for India.
Notably, the Indian team remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, showcasing their remarkable skills and determination.

Their momentum carried over from the previous day’s match against England, where Lalremsiami’s hat-trick led them to a resounding 3-0 victory.

The Indians started cautiously and maintained a disciplined structure with short, accurate passes that allowed them to create space in the circle. But goals eluded the visitors in the first quarter.
Spain created some fine opportunities in the last five minutes of the first quarter but India captain and goalkeeper Savita kept the opponents at bay by producing some fine saves.
India started the second quarter in a dominant fashion, showing clear intent to take the lead.
They built on a strong attack, with Sushila setting up a fine field goal opportunity in the 22nd minute. She assisted Neha Goyal with a swift pass in the top of the circle, but Neha’s shot bounced off the Spanish goalie Clara Perez’s pads.
Lalremsiami, the star of the match against England, picked up the rebound and smashed it past the goalie and Vandana was perfectly positioned to get a slight touch to push the ball past the goal-line.
The lead gave India the edge, allowing them to make confident forays into the striking circle.
They mounted pressure on Spain by dominating ball possession in the following minutes. India extended the lead in the 48th minute when Monika converted a penalty corner past Maria Ruiz, who had replaced Perez in the under the Spanish bar.
With a 2-0 lead, India defended stoutly. Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan and Sushila Chanu kept the Spanish attack in check while the forwards pushed for a third goal.
The opportunity came knocking two minutes from the final hooter when a confident Udita showed patience, coupled with good dribbling skills, to find the back of the net.
(With PTI Inputs)