Indian women players created history in World Cup Qualifiers! Beat Italy 1-0, now there will be a big fight with England in the final

New Delhi: The Indian team has continued its stellar performance in the ongoing FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Hyderabad. In the semi-finals, host India defeated Italy 1-0 in a tough match and not only made it to the final but also officially qualified for the 2026 World Cup (15-30 August, Belgium-Netherlands).

The decisive moment of the match came in the 40th minute, when midfielder Manisha Chauhan executed a brilliant drag flick at the penalty corner. His shot first hit the rusher, then deflected off the Italian defender and went into the goal. This goal proved to be the only and winning goal of the match.

There was a tough fight in the match

The first quarter was a close contest between the two teams. India made several inroads into the circle, but Italy’s strong defense and goalkeeper did not give them any chance. There were good chances for goals from both sides, but the score remained 0-0.
– India got two penalty corners in the second quarter. In the 18th minute, Navneet Kaur’s brilliant shot was stopped by Italy’s goalkeeper Lucia Ines Caruso. Navneet’s second attempt in the 27th minute went wide of the post. India’s attacks remained fast, but no goals were scored.
Italy tried to make a strong comeback in the third quarter. Emilia Munitis challenged the Indian defence, but goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made an amazing save. Manisha Chauhan’s goal came in the same quarter, which changed the course of the match.
– India got two more penalty corners in the fourth quarter, but they went in vain. Italy applied full pressure to equalize in the last minutes, but the Indian defense stood firm and maintained the clean sheet.

This victory is a big achievement for Indian women’s hockey. Now the team’s focus will be on winning the tournament title against England in the final on Saturday. This performance on home ground is a matter of pride for the fans!