The Indian women’s hockey team beat Spain 1-0 in the final of the Women’s FIH Nations Cup 2022 on Saturday, know the winner prize money
This won them a spot in the FIH Pro League for 2023–2024.
The winner of the Women’s FIH Nations Cup, which had just finished its first season, would get to play in the Women’s Pro League the following year. Gurjit Kaur scored the only goal of the game, which turned out to be the game-winner, in the first quarter.
FIH Women’s Nations Cup 2022 Winner, India vs Spain Score, Results And Prize Money
In the first few minutes of the game, Spain played well and almost took the lead. However, India’s captain Savita Punia, who was the shootout hero against Ireland in the semifinals, stopped a penalty corner shot by Spain with a quick save with her feet.
At five minutes into the game, India won its first penalty corner. Throughout the tournament, India’s head coach Janneke Schopman has been worried about how poorly the team has been converting penalty corners. However, Gurjit Kaur scored a goal with a precise drive to give India the lead.
𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝟎-𝟏 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚
They came, they saw & they conquered!
Team #India 🇮🇳 are crowned the champions of the first-ever women’s #FIHNationsCup beating Spain 1-0. With this, they qualify for the 2023-24 #FIHProLeague.@TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/bRzRiHFeMF
— International Hockey Federation (@FIH_Hockey) December 17, 2022
After the first goal, India, which is ranked eighth in the world in hockey, and Spain, which has a perfect defensive record in this tournament, kept things tight at the back.
Before the halftime horn, penalty corners were the only good way to score. Clara Perez of Spain was able to stop Gurjit from scoring again at full speed, and Savita made another great save with her feet to stop Lucia Jimenez from scoring.
India went into the second half with a 1-0 lead, and both teams stepped up their offensive play. Clara Perez stepped in again to stop a goal and keep her team in the game when India almost made it 2-0 with a penalty corner.
While no prize money has been officially declared, the winner sealed a berth in next year’s women’s FIH Pro League. The Indian hockey federation will meanwhile give all the players Rs.2 lakhs each and the support team Rs.1 lakh in prize money.
Turning Point For India In Women’s FIH Nations Cup
As the game went on, Spain began to make the Indian defence nervous. After getting a free hit with five minutes left in the third quarter, Lucia Jimenez finally beat Savita. But after the Indian team looked at the play again, the goal was called off because of a foul during the buildup.
With a 1-0 deficit going into the fourth quarter, the home team had the ball in the Indian goal again after a scramble in front of the goal, but this time the referee took it away because of a foul. Spain couldn’t find any more reviews to back up their request.
The Indian team only had a small lead, so they had to defend hard. And get lucky to keep it while the home team kept pressing for a goal to tie the game. India held on to the win, the championship, and a spot in the FIH Pro League the following year. All this despite a late storm from Spain.
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