Olympic Qualifiers
Bhubaneswar, Nov 1: Indian women’s hockey team took a giant leap towards Olympic qualification with a near-flawless performance to hammer USA 5-1 in the first-leg of the two-match FIH Qualifier here on Friday.
It was expected to be a tricky tie for the hosts but the women punched above their weight to simply demolish USA’s challenge in front of a partisan crowd at the Kalinga Stadium.
Dragflicker Gurjit Kaur (42nd and 51st) struck brace while Lilima Minz (28th), Sharmila Devi (40th) and Navneet Kaur (46th) were the other scorers.
USA’s consolation goal came from a penalty stroke converted by Erin Matson in the 54th minute.
Ranked ninth in the world, India now need to defend their four-goal advantage in Saturday’s second and final-leg to seal their Tokyo 2020 ticket. (PTI)
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