India pips Italy, advances to the final

After labouring for large stretches of the contest, India managed to eke out a 1-0 win against Italy in the semifinals of the FIH Women’s World Cup Qualifiers at the G.M.C Balayogi Hockey Ground here on Friday.

Head coach Sjoerd Marijne’s pre-match call for the players to bring out their best seemed to go unheeded early on as India struggled to construct fluid attacks in the opening two quarters.

India enjoyed more of the ball after a cagey start but rarely troubled Italian goalkeeper Lucia Caruso. It was Italy that produced the first real chance when Lola Brea drove into the circle and unleashed a reverse hit which Bichu Devi Kharibam saved with her pads.

The visiting team continued to threaten despite having less possession. Guadalupe Moras nearly found space in the circle before Manisha Chauhan made a crucial last-ditch block, while Brea pounced on Udita’s miscued overhead clearance but fired into the side netting from a tight angle.

India showed greater urgency at the start of the second quarter. Navneet Kaur, the team’s leading scorer (four goals) in the tournament, won the home side’s first penalty corner, with Caruso reacting sharply to deny her low effort following Sushila Chanu’s fumble while trapping.

Navneet and Beauty Dung Dung linked up well down the right soon after, but India’s attacking rhythm broke again when the final pass went astray – a recurring theme of the half.

The host came closest just before halftime from a penalty corner. Salima Tete injected the ball to Udita, who returned it to the captain. Salima’s angled shot appeared to be creeping in until her counterpart Sara Puglisi produced a crucial block on the goal-line.

Italy continued to test India after the restart. Maria Lunghi surged into the circle and set up Emilia Munitis, whose point-blank effort was denied by an alert Bichu Devi.

Navneet nearly broke the deadlock moments later with a dazzling run past three defenders, but Caruso parried her shot and Ishika failed to convert the rebound.

India finally found the breakthrough in the 40th minute, with a stroke of fortune. Manisha’s drag-flick from a penalty corner took deflections off Teresa Dalla Vittoria and Sofia Laurito, wrong-footing Caruso and sailing into the net.

With the lead in hand, India gradually tightened its grip on the match. A late penalty corner for Italy briefly threatened to spoil the partisan crowd’s celebrations – the DJ’s “we want goals” chant adding a note of confusion and amusement. But Bichu Devi produced another fine save to ensure India’s place in the title clash.

Earlier, England registered a 2-0 win against Scotland in the other semifinal. The tournament’s top-ranked side took the lead through Lottie Bingham, whose thunderous strike whizzed past Jessica Buchanan before the goalkeeper could react.

England doubled its lead at the fag end of the second quarter, with Bingham at the heart of the attack once again. She did well to find Darcy Bourne, who found the gap between the far post and Buchanan.

The results (semifinals): India 1 (Manisha Chauhan 40) bt Italy 0; England 2 (Lottie Bingham 25, Darcy Bourne 29) bt Scotland 0.