Tokyo 2020: Indian women keep hopes alive with win over Ireland

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Bengaluru, July 30: Navneet Kaur netted the all-important winner in the 57th minute as Indian women's hockey team beat Ireland 1-0 in their penultimate Pool A tie to stay alive in the Tokyo 2020 Games.

It was the Indian women's first win at Tokyo 2020 Games.

The Rani Rampal led Indian eves had lost to the Netherlands (1-5), Germany (0-2) and Great Britain (1-4) and needed a win to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.

After the loss to Great Britain, coach Sjoerd Marijne had come down heavily on the team.

The Dutchman had asked them to rise to the challenge.

"We do still've chances. There're still six points to get and that can be enough for the quarters. That's what we're all about, that's our goal and that's what I said to the girls," the coach said.

"But they (players) really need to think how can this happen that our individual level went so down," Marijne had said after the Great Britain match.

A loss to Ireland or even a draw would have ended Indian women's team's Olympic dreams.

However Rani and her team finally rose to the occasion.

"Ireland are a good team, and they're also our closest competitor in our pool. We've to do better to convert our goal scoring chances against them; both in terms of field goal attempts and penalty corners," Rani had said on the eve of the Ireland tie.

At the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, the match was almost heading for a draw when Navneet's winning goal came as she received a brilliant pass at close range and diverted the ball into goal.

Ireland referred it, it but the umpire's decision stood, much to the cheer of the Indian camp.

India next take on South Africa in their last Pool A tie on Saturday (July 31). The match starts at 8.45am IST.