Hockey: India beat Singapore 25-0 at Women's U18 Asia Cup

Indian Women`s hockey team (Pic: Asian Hockey Federation)

Having already sealed a spot in the final four, the Indian team unleashed a relentless offensive masterclass to dismantle Singapore 25-0 in their final Pool A fixture of the Women's U18 Asia Cup. The comprehensive win maintained India's unbeaten streak in the group stage, allowing them to advance to the semifinals as the undisputed leaders of Pool A.

India's formidable offensive variations tore through the opposition defence as ten different goal-scorers contributed to the massive tally. Nousheen Naz spearheaded the onslaught with a staggering seven-goal performance (8', 13', 17', 18', 40', 52', 58').

Player of the Match Geethasri Nammi chipped in with five goals (13', 28', 47', 48', 60'), while skipper Sweety Kujur found the back of the net four times (2', 24', 38', 45'). Priyanka Minz registered a brilliant hat-trick (22', 37', 53'), with Diya (27'), Nancy Saroha (36'), Shruti Kumari (40'), Pushpa Manjhi (47'), Rashmeen Kaur (47'), and Sandeepa Kumari (51') adding to the scoreboard.

Team India signalled their dominance right from the opening whistle, as captain Sweety converted an opportunity in only the second minute. Nousheen extended the advantage in the eighth minute, before quick-fire goals from Geethasri and Nousheen in the 13th minute gave India total authority over the contest. The pressure intensified during the second period when Nousheen fired home two quick goals, followed by strikes from Priyanka and Sweety to leave Singapore trailing significantly at the midway break.

Team India kept on scoring after the break

The momentum remained with Team India in the third quarter as Diya and Geethasri found the net early on. Singapore's defensive line collapsed completely under pressure as Nancy, Priyanka, Sweety, Nousheen, and Shruti all scored.

India showed no signs of slowing down in the final period, hammering home an additional ten goals. Late strikes from Pushpa, Rashmeen, Sandeepa, and Priyanka capped off one of the most dominant displays ever witnessed in Under-18 international hockey.

With successive victories over Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore, India ended their group stage campaign at the top of Pool A with a maximum haul of nine points. Their semifinal opponents will be decided once the remaining Pool B matches conclude later in the evening.

(With PTI inputs)