Asian Games 2026: India Women Beat Japan 3-1 to Seal Semi-Final Berth

India’s women’s hockey team secured its place in the semi-finals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with a 3-1 victory over hosts Japan in their Pool B encounter in Kakamigahara on Friday.

The win was India’s fourth consecutive victory in the competition and ensured that Salima Tete’s side progressed to the knockout stage with one Pool B match still to play. Lalremsiami, Ishika and Navneet Kaur were on the scoresheet for India, who controlled large periods of the contest despite Japan producing a stronger challenge than India’s previous three opponents.

India had earlier opened its campaign with a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan before defeating Indonesia 17-1 and Thailand 20-1.

Playing in hot afternoon conditions at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium, India immediately adopted an attacking approach and pressed Japan high up the pitch. Neha had the first opportunity inside the opening minute, but her reverse-hit attempt went wide. Navneet Kaur soon found space on the right wing, although her effort ended up in the side-netting.

The sustained pressure eventually produced the opening goal in the fifth minute. Navneet's initial hit was slowed down by a Japanese stick inside the circle, but Lalremsiami was ideally positioned to collect the loose ball. She made no mistake with the finish, sending it past goalkeeper Yu Kudo to give India a 1-0 lead.

India earned another penalty corner in the seventh minute. The injection set up Navneet, but her attempt was blocked. Japan then threatened on the counter-attack. With India temporarily short of numbers in defence, Japan created a shooting opportunity, but Bichu Devi produced an important save with her outstretched leg.

India continued to dominate possession and earned another penalty corner in the 13th minute after Navneet's shot was stopped by Kudo. However, an imperfect stop prevented India from properly testing the Japanese defence. Japan survived the pressure and went into the end of the first quarter trailing 1-0.

Ishika Doubles India's Advantage

The second quarter followed a similar pattern. India controlled possession and looked to construct attacks through its midfield, while Japan largely depended on counter-attacking opportunities. The hosts attempted to find an equaliser, but India's compact midfield and defensive structure restricted Japan's ability to build sustained attacks.

India, meanwhile, continued searching for a second goal. It arrived in the 30th minute. Navneet's direct penalty-corner attempt was saved by Kudo, but the rebound fell perfectly for Ishika. The Indian forward made no mistake, finding the back of the net to double India's advantage.

India therefore entered half-time with a 2-0 lead.

India continued its momentum after the interval and extended the advantage six minutes into the third quarter. Navneet produced one of the game's standout moments in the 36th minute. Receiving the ball inside the circle, she moved to her right before scooping the ball over the Japanese goalkeeper to make it 3-0. The goal put India firmly in control.

Japan struggled to contain India's attacking pressure, while Ishika and Rutuja also came close to adding another goal. Captain Salima Tete created another opportunity for Navneet later in the quarter, but Kudo made an important save to prevent India from extending its lead further. Japan entered the final quarter three goals behind but continued to look for a way back into the contest.

The hosts finally found a breakthrough in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Shiho Kobayakawa found space to Savita Punia's left and struck a tomahawk into the gap to reduce Japan's deficit to 3-1. The goal lifted the home crowd and gave Japan renewed momentum. India, however, remained composed.

Navneet came close to scoring again from a penalty corner in the 50th minute. Two minutes later, Baljeet and Lalremsiami combined effectively, but Lalremsiami's resulting effort deflected over the crossbar. Japan had another opportunity after a trapping error by Sushila led to a turnover. Savita was alert and palmed the resulting shot away. Japan earned a penalty corner from the sequence, but India defended the set piece successfully.

Deepika then had an opportunity on the counter-attack, although her reverse-hit attempt did not have enough power to trouble the Japanese goal.

India managed the closing stages effectively, and the final hooter confirmed a 3-1 victory.

The victory takes India to four wins from four Pool B matches and confirms their place in the semi-finals. India's campaign has now included 59 goals across four matches, with only two goals conceded. The victory over Japan was also a different test compared with the team's three earlier high-scoring wins, requiring India to remain disciplined after Japan reduced the deficit in the final quarter.

India will now complete their Pool B campaign against Singapore on September 27, before turning their attention to the semi-finals.

With four consecutive wins secured, Salima Tete's side enters the knockout stage with momentum and another opportunity to challenge for a medal at the Asian Games.