FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026: Indian women’s team have been knocked out of the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 after a goalless 0-0 draw against Australia at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands on August 23, Sunday. India needed nothing less than a victory to progress to the semi-finals but weren’t able to score despite forging several promising opportunities.
FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026: Resilient India deny Australia goal but fail to cash in on opportunities
The two teams finished level on points and goal difference, but Australia secured the semifinal berth by virtue of having scored more goals during the tournament. The match remained goalless throughout as both sides produced disciplined defensive displays. Australia enjoyed several penalty-corner opportunities, but India’s defence stood firm, while goalkeeper Savita and her backline repeatedly denied the Australians.
India also benefitted from successful video referrals that overturned key Australian chances during the contest. India came closest late in the game through Salima Tete, Navneet Kaur and Lalremsiami, but the crucial finishing touch eluded them. Head coach Sjoerd Marijne’s side even withdrew their goalkeeper in the closing stages in search of a winning goal, but Australia managed to keep them at bay.
Despite the disappointment, the tournament marked one of India’s finest performances at a Women’s World Cup. The team will now play the classification match for fifth and sixth place, ensuring their second-best finish in the competition’s history after finishing fourth in 1974.
“We don’t feel good; we came so close, but we let this game go out of our hands. We need to learn from this match. It was a tough game for us. We will learn from this. We had some chances as well, and we didn’t finish. We lose as a team; we’ll fight to finish fifth. This World Cup isn’t finished for us,” India captain Salima Tete said after the match, as quoted by ESPN.
With a resilient defensive effort and a spirited campaign, India leave the World Cup with pride, but also with the pain of knowing they were only a single goal away from a historic semifinal appearance.
With China and India eliminated, Australia and the Netherlands have progressed to the semi-finals.
(With inputs from ANI)
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