The Indian women’s hockey team secured a place in the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup New Zealand 2026 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan in their second Pool A match at the North Harbour National Hockey Centre on Tuesday.
Captain Salima Tete and Lalremsiami scored for India, while Hiramitsu Ai netted Japan’s lone goal. The match was also a milestone occasion for Indian midfielder Jyoti, who made her 100th senior international appearance.
The opening half was closely contested, with both teams creating opportunities but failing to break the deadlock before the interval.
India took the lead in the 33rd minute through a well-worked penalty-corner variation. Navneet Kaur’s strike was deftly redirected by Nikki Pradhan into the path of Salima Tete, who calmly slotted the ball home to put India ahead.
Japan responded swiftly and restored parity two minutes later when Hiramitsu Ai converted a penalty corner in the 35th minute.
With the contest evenly poised, Lalremsiami scored the decisive goal in the 49th minute. Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam delivered a precise pass from the edge of the circle, and Lalremsiami deflected it into the net to hand India the winner.
The victory lifted India to the top of Pool A with six points from two consecutive wins, having earlier defeated the United States.
India will conclude their Pool A campaign against Uruguay on June 18 at 4:15 a.m. IST. Japan and the United States will battle for the remaining semi-final berth from the group.
(With inputs from ANI)
