India defeated five-time champions South Korea 2-0 in the semifinal of the women's hockey event at the Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday to book a place in the final.
India will face China in the gold-medal match. China edged past hosts Japan 4-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the final.
The Indian team created several opportunities against South Korea at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium but struggled to convert them, particularly from penalty corners in the first two quarters.
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India finally broke the deadlock in the third quarter when forward Ishika converted a penalty-corner variation from close range to put the team ahead.
The Indian side doubled its advantage in the fourth quarter. A cutback from captain Salima Tete crossed the goal line after taking a deflection off the stick of a South Korean defender, giving India a 2-0 lead.
India will now look to end a long wait for gold in women's hockey at the Asian Games. The team has not won the women's hockey title at the continental event since 1982.
India Women's Hockey Team Eye Asian Games Gold
The women's team has made encouraging progress in recent years. Under captain Salima Tete, India finished fifth at the recently concluded FIH Hockey World Cup, which was jointly hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium.
The Asian Games final against China will give India another opportunity to finish the campaign with a gold medal.
Meanwhile, the Indian men's hockey team will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on Thursday for a place in the final of the men's event.
The Harmanpreet Singh-led side recently defeated Pakistan 5-3 at the Hockey World Cup, and the men's team will be looking to produce another strong performance in their semifinal clash.
Both the men's and women's teams will be aiming to bring home gold medals for India from Aichi–Nagoya, Japan.
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