3 reasons why India won the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023
The Indian women's hockey team scripted history as they became the Asian champions by defeating Japan 4-0 in the final of the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
It was an utter dominance from the Indian side as they lifted the trophy on the back of seven consecutive victories. They didn't lose or even draw a single game throughout the tournament.
The Indian team finished the league stage with five wins in five matches as they established their dominance in the tournament. Only Japan and China provided tough competition during the league games.
Otherwise, India ran riot in their other matches. In the knockouts, India easily negated Korea in the semifinal before defeating Japan in the final.
It was truly a remarkable performance from the Indian women's hockey team. In this post, we will dissect and take a closer look at the top 3 reasons why India won the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
#1 Indian team scored plenty of goals
India were in a menacing form in front of the goal throughout the tournament. Across seven matches, including the final, India scored a total of 27 goals at an average of almost four goals per match.
Furthermore, India didn't rely on one or two goal-scorers to do the job for them as ten different players scored goals for India across the tournament. The Indian team scored five or more goals thrice in the competition.
In the final, they scored four against Japan. It clearly shows the picture of their attacking prowesses in the Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
#2 Indian team had a rock-solid defence
Attack wins you matches, defence wins you titles. The Indian women's hockey team proved the saying right courtesy of their rock-solid defence throughout the competition.
India's defence brilliantly complimented the attack as they maintained four clean-sheets in seven matches of the tournament. India didn't ship even a single goal in the semifinal and the final.
In fact, India were so solid defensively that they only gave away three goals throughout the tournament. Furthermore, no team could score more than one goal in a game against them. The numbers are just a testament to their defensive solidity during the Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
#3 India were tactically superior
India also outsmarted all teams in the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 tactically. India's tactics were right on the money throughout the tournament. They came out with specific plans against different teams and defeated them.
In the league game against China, they set back to defend the lead after the initial attacking burst, while they played the whole second half on the counter against Japan in the final.
India applied flexibility to their tactics as their players adapted the multiple roles. If a defender carried the ball forward, another player from the midfield filled the position in the defence.
It didn't allow the opposition to find any space to work with. India certainly got their tactics right in every game and they rightfully lifted the Asian Champions Trophy 2023's trophy in the end.