On July 28, the Indian women’s hockey team qualified for the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time in 41 years, defeating South Africa 4-3 and reigning champions Great Britain blanking Ireland 2-0 to seal their progress into the elimination stage. India finished fourth in group A with six points, following back-to-back victories against Ireland and South Africa, and will now face pool B champions Australia in the quarter-finals.
On July 30. Each pool’s top four teams advanced to the elimination round. The Indian women’s team had their greatest Olympic performance in Moscow in 1980, when they reached the semi-finals but finished fourth. While British victory was necessary, no one can take away credit from Vandana Kataria, who scored a hat-trick in India’s victory over the South Africans in a tense morning match. Kataria (4th, 17th, and 49th minutes) made history by being the first Indian woman to score a hat-trick in an Olympic game. The other goal scorer was Neha Goyal (32nd). Tarryn Glasby (15th), skipper Erin Hunter (30th), and Marizen Marais all scored for South Africa (39th).
The game was really difficult; South Africa put up a valiant effort. They made the most of their opportunities in the circle. They can be a lot better defensively, as per captain S India’s head coach, who breathed a sigh of relief but expressed disappointment with the number of goals his team surrendered. They gave up far too many goals, and believe they can score more, which is the most important thing for today. they did what they had to win this match and they win this match.
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