India defeats South Korea 3-1 in the classification match of FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2023

The Indian junior women's hockey team defeated Korea 3-1 in the 9th-12th place classification match of the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2023 played in in Santiago, Chile on Friday.

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Ropni Kumari (23'), Mumtaz Khan (44'), and Annu (46') scored for India, while Jiyun Choi (19') was the only goalscorer for Korea in the Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2023.

Both the teams fought fiercely in the opening quarter in an attempt to gain an early lead. Korea maintained dominance and won the first penalty corner, but could not take advantage. India kept Korea's defense busy while opting for counter-attacks, but could not convert their promising chances, resulting in a goalless stalemate till the end of the quarter.

The second quarter saw the same intensity as the first, with India and Korea continuing to play aggressively. Korea's Jiyun Choi (19') broke the deadlock with a precise penalty corner strike, but India responded quickly through Ropni Kumari (23'), equalizing the score from another penalty corner.

Desperate to gain the upper hand, Korea increased its aggression. Despite their efforts, India's solid defense thwarted Korea's advance and counter-attacked efficiently, putting pressure on Korea's defensive line. However, there were no further goals in the second quarter as both teams entered the half time break with the score at 1–1.

In the third quarter, India maintained possession of the ball and dominated the proceedings by relentlessly harassing Korea's defense and the strategy paid off as Mumtaz Khan (44') brilliantly converted a penalty corner and gave a good lead to his team. The third quarter ended 2-1 in favor of India.

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Confident after taking the lead, India stepped up their attack and extended their lead at the start of the fourth and final quarter of the match as Annu (46') scored a brilliant field goal to give his team a two-goal lead. Despite being ahead, India continued to harass Korea's defence, maintaining their pace and denying any chances of a comeback and the match ended with a 3–1 victory for India.

The win means India, who were earlier eliminated from the title race after finishing third in Pool C, will get a chance to finish ninth in the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup 2023 when they face Chile or USA in their last match of the competition on December 10.