Donghae: India won three out of their three matches, beating Malaysia 3-2 in the latest encounter. Korea confirmed their spot as well by defeated China 3 – 1 in a thrilling match. The two teams will play the final on the 20th of May, however, they are yet to face each other in the round-robin tie, which is scheduled to be held on the 19th of May.
In the first game of match-day two, reigning champions India got the better of Malaysia and dominated the first half. India won a penalty corner in the first minute but Gurjit Kaur’s flick was stopped by the Japanese goalkeeper. India won another penalty corner, this time right after the start of the first quarter. Gurjit Kaur made no mistake this time and pushed the ball goal-ward to give India the lead. India looked the stronger side for the remainder of the first half, winning a majority of the common balls. Vandana Katariya doubled the lead for the Indian Eves in the 33rd minute, however, the energetic Malaysian side stepped their game up and switched to a counter-attacking mode, scoring just three minutes later. Nuraini Rashid with a powerful shot into the bottom corner. It was an open game after this and both teams played a very attacking game. Lalremsiami became the third India player to be on the scoreboard when she deflected the ball into the goal in the 40th minute. A goal from Hanis Onn in the 44th minute made the scores 3-2, that put the India bench on edge. But the reigning champions kept their discipline and saw the match end with another win at the tournament.
The second game of the day, between China and Korea, can very well be called the decider of the second finalist of the tournament. Ok Ju Jim opened the scoring for the Korean side in the 11th minute with a strong run into the circle and powerful strike into the top of the goal. China equalized in the 27th minute after Bingfeng Gu converted the penalty corner into the top left of the goal. The scores remained equal for only 30 seconds as Korea won the penalty corner at the other end and a low driven strike by Yurim Lee beat the stretched goalkeeper. Yurim Lee completed her brace for Korea in the 39th minute as her shot was deflected into the goal by a Chinese stick in front of goal.
As it stands, India and Korea have confirmed their spots in the Final, and will also face eachother in the round-robin a day before on the 19th of May. The second fixture on the 19th will be played between Japan and China, which is a must win for Japan to keep their hopes alive for the Bronze medal match.
In the top scorer’s board, India dominate the top three spots. Navneet Kaur and Vandana Katariya share the first place with 3 goals each, while Gurjit Kaur is in second with 2 goals. Also with goals are Ok Ju Kim and Yurim Lee from Korea, and Hanis Onn from Malaysia.
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