K. ARUMUGAM

Playing under no pressure, Salima Tete’s India stunned Germany, coached by its former chief coach Jenneke Scopman,  for a fluent 3-1 win to get its best world cup finish on synthetic turf era.

India had gone through a frustrating scoring drought before Ishika’s breakthrough against Germany. The Indian women had managed to score in only one of their previous three matches. They were held 0-0 by Australia and then suffered a 0-2 defeat to the Netherlands, leaving the attack desperately searching for a goal. Against that backdrop, Ishika’s stunning breakthrough came as a much-needed relief — and the timing could hardly have been better.

With just two minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ishika — not Ishika Choudhury — dashed into the German circle. Showing remarkable composure, she dodged past a couple of defenders and, amid a maze of legs and sticks, produced a gentle push that finally broke the deadlock. After two scoreless matches, the sight of the ball nestling in the German goal was almost a release of pressure for India.

And once the door opened, India stormed through it.

Navneet Kaur, the Haryana Hurricane and India’s smiling assassin, struck almost immediately with her trademark guile and power to make it 2-0. The same unflappable Navneet then pounced on a short rebound and produced an opportunistic scoop to put Germany on the mat at 3-0.

Germany pulled one back late, but India held firm to complete a memorable 3-1 victory.

The win takes India to fifth place in the 2026 Women’s World Cup, and perhaps more importantly, it represents a psychological breakthrough against European opposition. For years, India have found European and Oceania teams difficult to overcome. In Amsterdam, however, they have shown they can not only compete with them but tame them.

The victory also carried the unmistakable stamp of Sjoerd Marijne: patience, discipline and the belief that chances will come if the team remains composed. India did not panic when the goals refused to arrive. They waited — and when the opening appeared, they struck decisively.

There was an added twist to the occasion. Germany were coached by Jenneke Schopman, the former head coach of the Indian women’s team and Marijne’s successor. Two Dutch coaches, once connected through Indian hockey, now found themselves in opposite dugouts on a World Cup stage.

For India, though, the story was ultimately about resilience and belief.

After the disappointment of failing to score against Australia and the Netherlands, the three-goal burst against Germany was exactly the response the team needed.

From frustration to freedom, from drought to a decisive win — India finished fifth in Amsterdam with a statement of intent.