India Junior Women Thrash Malaysia 11-1 to Make It Two Wins from Two at AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026

India’s junior women’s hockey team continued their impressive start to the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026, producing a dominant 11-1 victory over Malaysia in their second Elite Pool match in Moqi, China, on Sunday.

The defending champions followed up their 4-1 victory over South Korea in the tournament opener with an even more assured performance against Malaysia. India controlled the contest from the opening minute, scored seven goals before half-time and continued their attacking dominance after the interval to complete a comprehensive victory.

Seven different Indian players found the net, underlining the depth of the defending champions’ attacking unit. India scored four goals from field play, five from penalty corners and two from penalty strokes as they demonstrated their ability to threaten Malaysia in multiple ways.

The result gives India two wins from two matches and six points, moving them to the top of the Elite Pool standings.

Having overcome some early nerves in their opening match against South Korea, India looked far more settled against Malaysia. The defending champions needed just one minute to open the scoring.

India were awarded a penalty stroke early in the contest, and Puja Sahoo stepped up to calmly convert the opportunity and give India a 1-0 lead. The early goal immediately put Malaysia under pressure, and India doubled their advantage in the fourth minute through Purnima Yadav.

India continued to dominate possession and territory, forcing Malaysia to defend deep for long periods. Their pressure resulted in another goal in the eighth minute when Binima Dhan converted a penalty corner to make it 3-0.

India were now firmly in control, and Krishna Sharma added another in the 14th minute, also from a penalty corner. At the end of the first quarter, India already held a commanding 4-0 advantage.

Seven goals before half-time

There was no reduction in India's intensity during the second quarter. Purnima Yadav continued her impressive outing by completing her brace in the 17th minute. The forward converted another penalty corner to extend India's lead to 5-0.

India's penalty-corner execution continued to prove extremely effective. Sukhveer Kaur joined the goalscorers in the 21st minute, converting another penalty corner to put India 6-0 ahead. With Malaysia struggling to contain India's attacking movements, Geeta Yadav added another penalty-corner goal in the 28th minute.

The seventh Indian goal of the match meant the defending champions entered half-time with a huge 7-0 lead. India's performance was considerably more composed than their opening game, with their passing combinations, attacking movements and set-piece execution all clicking into place.

Malaysia managed to find a breakthrough in the third quarter. Nur Mohd scored in the 38th minute to give Malaysia their first goal of the contest and reduce the deficit to 7-1.

However, the goal did little to change the overall momentum. India immediately resumed their attacking pressure and continued to create opportunities around the Malaysian circle. In the 42nd minute, India were awarded another penalty stroke. Once again, Puja Sahoo took responsibility and converted confidently.

Her second goal of the afternoon restored India's seven-goal advantage and made it 8-1. Just a minute later, Sanika Chandrakant Mane found the net to take India into double figures, putting the defending champions 9-1 ahead heading into the final quarter.

The final quarter offered no respite for Malaysia. India continued to press forward despite having already established an enormous advantage, showing the same attacking intent that had characterised their performance from the opening whistle.

Geeta Yadav scored her second goal of the match in the 53rd minute, once again converting a penalty corner. With Malaysia unable to cope with India's continued pressure, Sanika Mane struck again in the 58th minute. Her second goal completed India's 11-1 victory and brought the defending champions' goal tally to 15 across their first two matches.

The result also highlighted India's penalty-corner strength, with five of their 11 goals coming from set pieces.

With six points from two matches, India currently occupy top spot in the Elite Pool. China and Japan are second and third respectively, with three points each after one victory, while goal difference separates the two sides. South Korea and Malaysia occupy fourth and fifth positions respectively after suffering two defeats.

India's start has therefore been emphatic. After beating South Korea 4-1, they have now dismantled Malaysia 11-1, scoring 15 goals while conceding only two. The challenge will now be to maintain that momentum against stronger opposition as the tournament progresses.

Japan next for defending champions

India will have a rest day on Monday before returning to action on September 8, when they face Japan in their third Elite Pool match. The Japanese side will provide another important test for the defending champions, particularly after India have established themselves as the early leaders. For now, though, India can take considerable confidence from their performance against Malaysia.

An early penalty stroke, relentless pressure, clinical penalty-corner execution and contributions from seven different players combined to produce a commanding victory.

After two matches, the defending champions have made their intentions clear: India are not just looking to defend their AHF Junior Asia Cup crown — they have started the campaign in dominant fashion.