The Indian women's hockey team beat South Africa 2-0 in their Pool B encounter in the Women's FIH Nations Cup 2022 in Valencia, Spain on Wednesday.
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In the Pool-B match, Team India won its third consecutive win by performing brilliantly. The team, which had already made it to the semi-finals, secured the first position in the group with nine points. Deep Grace Ekka and Gurjit Kaur scored one goal each for India. The Indian team made a great start in the match. They kept the pressure on the South African team from the very first quarter itself. Team India got its advantage in the 14th minute. Deep Grace Ekka scored an excellent goal to give the team a 1-0 lead.
After that, both the teams could not score a single goal in the second and third quarters. Ample opportunities were created by India in the next two quarters but the South African defense was stubborn and made crucial interceptions. India scored another goal in the fourth quarter a minute before the end of the match. In the 59th minute, Gurjit Kaur put the ball in the goalpost. World No. 8 India secured nine points in the group. Earlier, They had defeated Chile 3–1 and Japan 2–1.
Meanwhile, the Indian team will face Ireland in the semi-finals on December 16 from 8.15 pm. While Pool A winner Spain will take on the winner of the match between Japan and Chile. South Africa, with three losses, finished bottom of Pool B. The eight-team tournament is important for India as it plays a key role in the promotion-relegation system. The champion of the Women's FIH Nations Cup 2022 will be promoted to the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Women's Pro League. This is an important tournament ahead of next year's Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics.