Amstelveen, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Indian women’s hockey team signed off from the FIH Hockey World Cup Belgium and the Netherlands 2026 with a memorable 3-1 victory over world No. 5 Germany in the fifth-sixth place classification match in Amstelveen on Thursday.
The win earned India fifth place, their best finish at the Women’s World Cup since the inaugural edition in 1974, when the team finished fourth.
After a goalless first half, India produced a dominant attacking performance in the third quarter. Ishika opened the scoring in the 43rd minute before Navneet Kaur converted a penalty corner a minute later to double the advantage. Navneet struck again in the 47th minute to complete her brace.
Germany started strongly and enjoyed greater possession during the opening stages, but India gradually settled into the contest. Both sides created circle entries without finding a breakthrough in the first quarter.
Germany earned their first penalty corner in the 15th minute, but goalkeeper Bichu Devi and the Indian defence kept the threat under control. India responded with attacks of their own, with Lalremsiami going close after combining with Deepika and Navneet.
The second quarter remained tightly contested. German goalkeeper Finja Starck produced three successive saves when Navneet and captain Salima Tete combined to threaten the German goal, ensuring the teams went into half-time level.
India finally broke the deadlock when Neha won possession and released Ishika. The forward opted to take on the German defence and finished calmly to put India ahead.
Sustained pressure soon resulted in another penalty corner. Navneet’s first attempt was stopped by a German runner, but India earned another opportunity, which the forward converted with a powerful strike.
India maintained their momentum after the interval. Salima found Navneet along the baseline, and the forward weaved past two defenders before lifting the ball into the net for her second goal.
Germany reduced the deficit through Lynn Krings in the 59th minute after earlier coming close with a deflection. The Germans earned a final penalty corner with 12 seconds remaining, but India defended resolutely to seal the win.
India ended their campaign with two wins, three draws and one defeat from six matches. Their only loss came against defending champions Netherlands. They held higher-ranked China, England and Australia to draws and recorded a 6-1 victory over South Africa, their biggest World Cup win.
Although India narrowly missed out on a semi-final place, the fifth-place finish marks a significant improvement and gives the team added confidence ahead of next month’s Asian Games in Japan.
FOLLOW NOW
