Indian women's hockey team now have a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 Asian Games after beating hosts Japan 3-1 in their fourth Pool B match at the current Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. It was India's fifth game in the tournament and the team's second straight quarter-final.
The Indian side showed a professional and disciplined performance in Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, keeping possession for long periods and creating multiple chances against Japan. Lalremsiami, Ishika and Navneet Kaur were the goalscorers for India while Shiho Kobayakawa scored the only goal of the match for Japan.
India began the match aggressively and immediately put Japan under pressure with a high press. Neha had the first notable opportunity of the match, but her reverse hit went wide of the target. Navneet Kaur also came close, but her attempt went side netting.
India broke the deadlock in the fifth minute. Navneet's first attempt was halted by a Japanese stick in the circle and Lalremsiami took advantage of this and took the ball. The Indian forward kept her cool and found the back of the net past Japanese goalkeeper Yu Kudo to make India 1-0 ahead.
The early goal gave India more momentum as they continued to dominate possession and look for another opening. India won a penalty corner and Navneet stepped up for the attempt but the shot was repelled by the Japanese defence.
Japan responded with a counter-attack in order to exploit the space in India’s defence. The Indian side was stretched at times but goalkeeper Bichu Devi made a crucial save to ensure that Japan did not find a goal.
India continued to press at the end of the first quarter and had another penalty corner. But an imperfect stop prevented the Indian team from making the most of the opportunity. India therefore went into the first break with a narrow 1-0 lead.
The second quarter followed the same pattern in India’s possession and trying to gain position. Japan continued to try for an equaliser, but India’s defensive structure prevented the hosts from getting enough clear chances.
India finally doubled its advantage in the final minute of the second quarter. Navneet's shot was saved again from the penalty corner, but Ishika was on the receiving end of the rebound and found the target to make it 2-0. The result gave India a big advantage going into half-time.
India did not ease off after the interval. In the third quarter, the team continued to push forward and looked for a third goal that would take the result beyond Japan’s reach. That effort paid off in the 36th minute when Navneet Kaur struck an excellent finish with a wonderful scoop over the Japanese goalkeeper to make India’s lead 3-0.
Japan managed to reduce the deficit in the final quarter. Shiho Kobayakawa found space and beat Savita Punia with a tomahawk to the goalkeeper's left. The goal gave the hosts a brief shot at a comeback.
India, however, remained composed in the final stages. The team maintained its defensive discipline and managed the rest of the game effectively to win 3-1.
India will now be in the semi-finals of women's hockey at the Asian Games. The unbeaten run will also give Salima Tete and her team some momentum for the knockout stage.
India will face Singapore on Sunday in its final pool stage match in Pool B. The Indian team will have one more chance to build momentum before the knockout matches.
With good attacking threat, penalty corner goals, goalkeeper saves, and disciplined defence, India had another strong performance in Aichi-Nagoya. Now the focus will switch to the semifinals as the Indian women’s hockey team is working towards the medal rounds.
