Indian women's hockey team defeats Spain to win Torneo del Centenario 2023
Indian women produced an impressive performance in the Torneo del Centenario 2023 final as they defeated hosts Spain by 3-0 on Sunday. With this victory, India returns home undefeated in the tournament.
In the first quarter, India was on the defensive side. Spain dominated the proceedings and was awarded a penalty corner in the 11th minute of the match. However, India captain Savita was quick to prevent Spain from scoring, as the scoreline remained 0-0 after the first quarter.
India dominated the second quarter and came closer to scoring the goal multiple times. Initially, Neha Goyal broke Spain's defence but the home team's goalkeeper Clara Perez's reflexes saved the goal. A few minutes later, Vandana Katariya scored with a slight touch off Lalremsiami's swift pass to make it 1-0 for India.
In the second half, India attacked right from the start and was rewarded for the same in the 48th minute as Monika sent the ball past the keeper. Notably, Spain replaced Perez with Ruiz during the second half.
After taking a 2-0 lead, India went into defensive mode and did not allow the Spain team to get through. India found the goal one more time when Udita dribbled past the Spanish defence to score in the 58th minute. Indian women's hockey team thus registered a 3-0 win and became champions.
Indian women stay unbeaten throughout the tournament
Indian women's hockey team had a tournament to remember as they remained unbeaten throughout the event.
India faced England in the first game, where they drew 1-1. The team secured another draw against Spain in their second game. The team finished 2-2 against the hosts.
After the second match, India needed a win to move to the top of the table. Lalremsiami scored a hat-trick against England and helped the team top the table. In the final match, India went past the hosts Spain with ease to win the tournament.
This is an excellent result for the Indian women as they will be heading to Asian Games 2023 after this tour. Notably, Indian women came into this tournament after losing all their matches on their recent tour to Germany.