Times of India: Indian women’s hockey team opens Korea tour with 1-0 win over hosts

NEW DELHI: The Asian champions Indian women’s hockey team opened its tour of South Korea by beating the hosts 1-0 on Monday, with Lalremsiami scoring the definitive goal of the match. It proved a happy occasion for the veteran skipper Rani Rampal, who was playing her 200th international match.

India opened their account in the fifth minute when Lalremsiami found the back of the net. The early lead was maintained through some excellent field work, which ensured that the Koreans were held at bay. India’s forward line also found it hard to score again, but the excellent work from Lalremsiami and goalkeeper Savita Punia – who last week was voted the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) Hockey Player of the Year – proved the difference in this hard-fought match.

Four matches remain on tour for the team coached by Harendra Singh.

India are at tenth and South Korea ninth in the FIH World Rankings. Last year, Rampal’s team won the Asia Cup by beating higher-ranked China the in the final, 5-4 in the penalty shootouts. In the process, it qualified for the 2018 World Cup.