Asian Under-18 hockey: Indian Women's team lose to China in semis

Indian U-18 women`s hockey team (Pic: X)

The Indian Under-18 women's hockey team missed out on a spot in the gold medal match after a close penalty shootout defeat against China in the semifinals of the Under-18 Asian Championships on Friday.

Following a highly competitive 2-2 draw during regulation time, the Indian squad ultimately faltered in the shootout, losing 1-3.

India enjoyed a dream start in the opening quarter, breaking the deadlock just three minutes into the game. Skipper Sweety Kujur launched a superb pass from the midfield directly into the shooting circle, finding Nousheen Naz, who expertly fired a reverse shot into the net to give her team an early advantage.

China pushed hard for an equaliser and earned a penalty corner in the 21st minute, but Indian goalkeeper Mahak Parihar made a brilliant save to deny Feng Jiaxin's drag-flick.

However, China capitalised on an Indian defensive slip-up just three minutes later, with Li ZeYan pouncing on the loose ball to slot home a field goal and level the score at 1-1.

The third quarter saw both sides create several opportunities, with India failing to convert back-to-back penalty corners. The game remained deadlocked heading into the final quarter, where China took the lead three minutes in.

A Chinese penalty corner was initially stopped by the Indian defence, but Zhang Yuzheng cleanly swept home the rebound. Refusing to back down, India responded rapidly. Kiran successfully converted a penalty corner to bring the scores level at 2-2, sending the match into a high-stakes penalty shootout.

India lose to China in a shootout

In the shootout, Chinese goalkeeper Liu Xue became the hero by denying the majority of India's attempts. While Lu Tong Tong, Ge Chen, and Guo Jiaxin successfully converted their pressure strokes for China, Sandeepa Kumari was the solitary Indian player to find the back of the net.

With this result, China progresses to the final of the Under-18 Asian Championships, while the Indian team shifts its focus to the third-place playoff on Saturday. The second women's semi-final will be played between Japan and Korea. India will take on the loser of that match for the bronze medal on June 6, 2026

(With ANI inputs)