India Women's Hockey Team Beats Hosts Japan 3-1 to Storm Into Asian Games Semifinals

India's women's hockey team continued its dominant run at the Asian Games 2026, beating hosts Japan 3-1 in a Pool B fixture at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium to secure their place in the semifinals with a match still to spare. The result extended India's unbeaten start to the tournament to four wins in as many outings, a run that has quickly established the side as one of the teams to watch heading into the knockout rounds.

India settled into the contest quickly, with forward Lalremsiami finding the net inside the opening five minutes to put the visitors ahead. The lead held through the rest of the first quarter, but India doubled their advantage late in the second when Ishika Chaudhary converted to make it 2-0 at the break, giving the team a comfortable cushion heading into the second half against a home crowd willing Japan on.

The third quarter belonged to India as well. Navneet Kaur added a third goal, scooping the ball over the Japanese goalkeeper and into the far corner in a finish that underlined the composure India's forward line has shown throughout the competition. At 3-0, the contest looked all but settled, though Japan did find a measure of reward for their effort early in the fourth quarter when Shiho Kobayakawa struck from the top of the circle with a backhand finish to get the hosts on the board. It proved to be a consolation rather than the start of a comeback, with India seeing out the remainder of the match comfortably.

The win means India have now beaten every side they have faced in Pool B so far, a run that has featured contributions from across the squad rather than reliance on any single player, a pattern that will encourage the coaching staff as the tournament moves into more decisive territory. With the semifinal spot already secured, India's remaining pool assignment against Singapore on Sunday effectively becomes a chance to fine-tune combinations and manage player workloads before the knockout stage begins, rather than a must-win fixture in the traditional sense.

The result adds to what is turning into a strong Asian Games campaign for India across multiple disciplines this week, with the shooting range, athletics track and now the hockey turf all contributing to the country's medal tally. For the women's hockey team specifically, reaching the semifinals with an unbeaten pool record represents a marked statement of intent, particularly given it came against the tournament hosts in front of a home crowd. How far that form carries the side will become clearer once the knockout draw and semifinal opponent are confirmed, but for now, India's hockey players have given themselves the best possible platform heading into the business end of the competition.

Attention will now turn to how the semifinal draw shapes up and which side India will face for a place in the gold medal match, with the team's defence — which has conceded sparingly through the pool phase — likely to be tested more severely as the competition intensifies.

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