Auckland: The Indian women’s hockey team booked its place in the semifinals of the FIH Nations Cup with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan, courtesy goals from captain Salima Tete and Lalremsiami here on Tuesday.
The win was India’s second in Pool A of the tournament, which serves as a qualifier for next year’s FIH Pro League. With six points from two matches, India secured a spot in the last four.
India opened the scoring in the third quarter, with Salima Tete finding the net in the 33rd minute after the forwards had made several unsuccessful attempts. Japan responded quickly, drawing level just two minutes later through Ai Hiramitsu. However, Lalremsiami struck the decisive goal in the 49th minute as India withstood a late Japanese surge to secure the victory.
