The Indian women’s hockey team was crowned the Asian Games 2026 champions after beating the People’s Republic of China 1-0 in the gold medal match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Friday.
Not only was this the Indian women’s first Asian Games hockey title since New Delhi 1982 but it also secured a coveted LA 2028 Olympics quota for Salima Tete and Co.
Lalremsiami Hmarzote’s sensational strike, in her 200th international outing, in the 10th minute of the first quarter decided the Asian Games 2026 hockey final on Friday but it was a gritty and organised defence which saw the win through.
India had won bronze at Hangzhou 2023, eventually missing out on a spot at Paris 2024.
China, defending and Paris 2024 Olympics silver medallists, made a bright start to the match and mounted multiple attacks on the Indian penalty circle, particularly down the left.
With the Chinese team controlling the midfield and possession, the Indian team had very little joy trying to venture forward.
However, it was India who scored the opening goal. India captain Salima Tete nicked possession just outside the danger area and fed Lalremsiami in space inside the Chinese circle.
Lalremsiami marked the occasion with a stunning reverse hit which rifled into the roof of the net, leaving Chinese goalkeeper Liu Ping rooted to her spot. It was the first goal China had conceded
At the other end, the likes of Sushila Chanu, Jyoti and Ishika Chaudhary defended with purpose to keep the Indian scoresheet clean.
With just over two minutes left for the first quarter to end, India won the first penalty corner of the match and Navneet Kaur almost doubled India’s lead from it, but her powerful drag flick swerved wide. The first quarter ended with India leading by a solitary goal.
China ramped up the pressure in search of an equaliser and won a series of penalty corners early in the second quarter. Ma Ning almost found the leveller with one of them but Navneet Kaur showed extraordinary reflexes to deflect her shot around the post.
Another piece of brilliance, this time by Savita Punia, saw India protect the lead yet again minutes later. The Indian goalkeeper guessed it right and got down in time to deny Zhang Yi from a penalty stroke.
Unperturbed, China kept probing but the Indian defence showed immense grit and resilience to keep India ahead at the break.
Minutes after the restart, China, once again, came close to scoring from a penalty corner but Navneet made a brilliant block to avert the danger.
Salima Tete was fearless as the first rusher, frustrating the Chinese from penalty corners. However, one of her daring charges saw her suffer a finger injury midway through the third quarter, forcing her to leave the field.
Salima’s departure also saw India lose their best ball carrier and it had an impact on the game too, as the lack of an outlet pegged India back inside their own half.
The Indian defence, though, continued to weather the storm and held onto their clean sheet till the end of the quarter.
With Salima Tete back on the hockey field with taped fingers, India looked more at home and looked to manage four-time champions out of the game. The defence continued to impress, repelling waves after waves of Chinese attacks.
With just over three minutes left on the clock, China pulled their goalkeeper from the game, opting to field 11 outfield players in search of the all-important equaliser.
The numerical advantage didn’t matter in the end as the Indian women stayed organised to see off a historic win.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/asian-games-2026-hockey-women-final-india-vs-china-match-report
