Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Jun 15: The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a hard-fought 1–2 defeat against Australia in a gripping encounter at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2024/25 (Women), held at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre on Sunday.
India began the match with high intensity and took an early lead through Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke in the third minute. However, Australia responded with goals from Amy Lawton (37’) and Lexie Pickering (60’), the latter striking with just 34 seconds left on the clock to seal a dramatic comeback.
The match kicked off with India on the front foot, earning three consecutive penalty corners in the opening minute. Their early pressure paid off when Navneet Kaur launched an attacking move, feeding Sharmila Devi, who delivered a precise ball across goal for Vaishnavi to deflect into the net.
India nearly doubled their lead through Navneet, who narrowly missed the target. Despite Australia securing two penalty corners late in the first quarter, India’s defense held firm.
The second quarter saw a balanced tussle in midfield, with both teams sharing possession but failing to make a breakthrough. India retained their 1–0 advantage heading into halftime.
Australia returned with renewed purpose in the third quarter and created several chances, including a near miss by Greta Hayes. The breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Amy Lawton stole the ball from the Indian defense and unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the circle to level the score.
In the final quarter, India had multiple opportunities to regain the lead. A series of four consecutive penalty corners in the 54th minute saw Neha come closest, but her deflected shot agonizingly struck the post.
The match looked set for a draw until the dying seconds. Australia won a crucial penalty corner, and Tatum Stewart set up Lexie Pickering, who deftly redirected the ball past the Indian goalkeeper to secure victory for the Aussies.
With this loss, India will now regroup and look to bounce back as they face Argentina on June 17 at the same venue.