India defeated NZ in an exciting shootout to clinch bronze in women's hockey at the CWG in 2022

• Image Credit: Internet

• Aug 7, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

India's ladies battled neck and neck against Australia in an exciting semifinal, and by the time the fourth quarter concluded, they had secured a 1-1 tie. 

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Digital Desk: In a thrilling conclusion at the
Commonwealth Games 2022, the India women's hockey team upset New Zealand to win
bronze, ending their 16-year medal drought. In the final 30 seconds of
regulation time, New Zealand tied the score, sending the game into a shootout.
Two days after suffering a heartbreaking loss to Australia, India won the
shootouts 2-1 because to Savita Punia's three successful saves. The women of
India, who almost missed a medal finish at the Tokyo Olympics last year and
whose last CWG medal was awarded in 2006, finally got their day in the sun
under the brave leadership of their captain.

Salima Tete gave India the game's lone goal
in the second quarter, and they held off a goal from New Zealand until it was
eventually cancelled out. But in the closing five minutes of the game, drama
broke out as New Zealand brought on a replacement goalkeeper and started
launching a few attacks. With 120 seconds remaining, Lalremsiami received a
yellow card, reducing India to 10 players. India's lack of a player had an
impact on New Zealand, who gained a penalty corner and, despite Savita's
valiant effort to save it, was given a penalty shot, which they converted with
30 seconds remaining in regulation to force a shootout.

Roberts scored in her first shot, but
Sangeeta failed to beat the keeper on India's opening try. Since the second
attempt had to be redone, Savita twice stopped a shot from Hope Ralph. Sonika's
initial attempt on India's second chance was blocked, but she was still able to
score by diving in on the rebound. Savita then gave an incredible performance
to save the following two hits, which put India one conversion away from the
bronze medal.

But there would be more turmoil, and Neha
missed the inside information. India needed to block the final shot, thus it
was only right that their skipper Savita did so. This led to joyful
celebrations in the Indian dugout. Having won gold in Manchester in 2002,
silver in Australia, and now bronze in Birmingham, the Indian women's hockey
team now holds all three medals from the CWG.

India settled into a much more fluid style
after a rough first couple of minutes, finding their passes well. Sushila Chanu
attempted to score India's first goal in the sixth minute, but the shot was
wildly off-target. Savita had attempted to clear and had given India a worry;
happily for her, a last-second deflection from Nisha saved her. New Zealand
continued to exert pressure, which led to a penalty corner. They tried playing
the deflection on the PC, but it didn't work.

Sangeeta attempted a reverse hit with four
seconds remaining in the first quarter, but the ball was deflected and missed
wide. After several close calls, New Zealand came back strongly in the third
quarter and scored the equaliser. or so it appeared. India quickly requested a
review to determine whether the free throw was correctly taken from the 5 metre
line and whether there was a foot inside the circle. The goal was cancelled
after the TV umpire declared that it wasn't from the 5-meter line.

India successfully penetrated several
circles, but the results weren't what they were hoping for. India had a
first-hand look at how strong New Zealand's defence was because they had only
allowed two goals in the group stage. However, they quickly succeeded in
breaking it. Salima was in the right place at the right time and sliced the
ball into the goal to break the tie, despite New Zealand's referral, with three
minutes remaining in the second quarter. Sharmila struggled to collect the ball
clearly during a series of attacks. Salima's third goal of the tournament is
what separated the two teams at half-time, which they were able to retain until
the final 30 seconds of regulation time.

For the Indian team, who entered CWG 2022
expecting to move past the disappointment of placing ninth at the Hockey World
Cup last month, the medal result is a much-needed lift. India, who was grouped
with England, Canada, Wales, and Ghana, placed second in Pool A to advance to
the semifinal, where they faced Australia, however a contentious result of the
game prevented India's ladies from winning the gold. The girls might have
easily let that deter them before a major medal competition, but they chose not
to let it do so. Instead, they put on a show for the ages that earned them a
medal that had been long overdue.

India started off their CWG 2022 campaign
with a decisive victory over Ghana. Tete and Neha, two Indian midfielders, each
scored once as their team defeated the opposition 5-0. Sangita Kumari, a
forward, contributed with one goal as well, while Gurjit Kaur, a defender,
stood out with two goals.

India had a 2-0 advantage over Wales at the
end of the second quarter before giving up one in the third. Then, the
48th-minute goal by forward Vandana Katariya off a penalty corner was the icing
on the cake. The match versus England, a team from their own country, presented
the largest challenge for the Indian women. England, which is ranked fourth in
the world, took control of the game immediately away and lead India 2-0 at the
end of the third quarter. In the 53rd minute, Hannah Martin scored from a
penalty corner to give England a 1-0 advantage. In the final seconds, Vandana
scored a consolation goal to spare India's blushes despite their 1-3 defeat.

The loss against England meant that India
desperately needed a win over Canada in their fourth pool A match, to make it
to the semi-finals. In a virtual quarterfinal, the Indian women pulled up their
socks and prevailed over Canada in a hard-fought match, securing a 3-2 win. Up
till the 51st minute, the score was 2-2, then India took the lead with a
penalty corner goal from Lalremsiami, making it 3-2. The women of Canada put up
a valiant fight for equality, but it was not going to be enough.

India's ladies battled neck and neck against
Australia in an exciting semifinal, and by the time the fourth quarter
concluded, they had secured a 1-1 tie. Up until the fourth quarter, India was
down 0-1 but Vandana once more saved the day by tying the score. In the
subsequent shootout, India's goalie Savita made a fantastic save, but the
controversy that followed prevented India from moving on to the final.