Germany : For the first time ever, Indian girls have entered the semifinals of the junior womens World Cup hockey championship. In a quarterfinal match played in Monchengladbach, Germany, India defeated Spain 4-2 after the teams were locked 2-2 at the breather.
Indias Australian coach Neil Hawgood said, “The success has come from all the big losses we suffered in the World League Round 3. The experience has helped in the junior World Cup. The girls were a bit nervous at the beginning but they showed character and continued to work for 70 minutes.”
India recovered twice after Spain took a seventh lead when Xantal Gine converted a penalty corner. India equalized in the 10th minute through a field goal scored by Monika. Spain made it 2-1 in the 30th minute with a field goal scored by skipper Berta Bonastre. But Spanish joy was short-lived when Navneet Kaur made it 2-2 with just seconds left for half-time. Navneet scored with a lovely reverse flick.
