Auckland: Continuing their impressive run of form, India beat hosts New Zealand 2-0 in the final to clinch their second FIH Women’s Cup of Nations title and secure promotion to FIH Women’s Pro League here on sunday.
Navneet Kaur (4′) gave India an early lead before Sunelita Toppo (15′) doubled India’s advantage. The team produced a stellar defensive display to defend their lead and win the title, which also marked their return to the Pro League the following season.
Lalremsiam won the Man of the Match award in the final, while Deepika finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals to her name – sharing the honors with USA’s Ashley Sessa.
This is India’s second Nations Cup title, having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022.
India remained unbeaten throughout their campaign, defeating USA (3-2), Japan (2-1) and Uruguay (3-2) in Group A matches, before registering a commanding 6-0 win over Chile in the semi-finals.
To recognize the achievements of the teams, Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each support staff member.
In the title game, the hosts enjoyed most of the possession in the early exchanges as they looked to make early inroads.
However, the visitors created the first meaningful chance of the game when Kaur won a penalty. She converted from the spot with a powerful strike in the 4th minute to put India in front.
India were outstanding in transition, causing the New Zealand defense all sorts of problems with their intensity.
They doubled their advantage through their fifth penalty corner in the opening quarter, with Sunelita deflecting a sharp effort from Deepika to give India a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute.
India were disciplined in the second quarter as New Zealand started to come into play as they looked to claw back. The visitors also had several chances to increase the lead.
However, neither side could find the back of the net, resulting in India holding onto their two-goal advantage at half-time.
India remained resolute in the third quarter, putting in an outstanding defensive display that kept the hosts at bay and denied them any clear scoring opportunities. With their high intensity, the visitors forced a mistake from the New Zealand defence, but Navneet’s reverse shot was saved by the keeper.
New Zealand won a penalty corner in the opening exchanges of the fourth quarter. The order of the result, however, was saved by Savita. The visitors remained excellent in maintaining a tight defensive structure and eventually secured a 2-0 victory to clinch the title.
