Muscat: The Women’s Asia Cup 2022 semifinals will kick off on Wednesday with title-holders India facing South Korea while Japan will take on China in the another fixture. The first semifinal will begin at 16:30 while the second encounter will start at 19:00 at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
Wednesday’s matches will decide the two top teams for the final showdown which is scheduled on Friday.
Other two matches will be played on Wednesday between Thailand and Singapore for the 5th-8th playoff while Malaysia will take on Indonesia. The first match will start at 11:30 while the following match will begin at 14:00.
KEEN CONTEST
Defending champions India will aim to move into final to defend the coveted title. The assignment of Indian women will be tough as they will meet tough South Korean women. India were placed second in Pool A behind Japan as they won two matches against Malaysia and Singapore. The only loss came against Japan 2-0.
Opponents South Korean will eye triumph as they showed top performance in the group matches. The experienced and young Korean players along with head coach Kim Jiyun are looking for a new accomplishment in this Asian event before the FIH World Cup in 2022.
JAPAN IN TOP FORM
Japan, who won all their matches in group stage, will aim nothing less than lifting the title.
The Japanese women were in great form in the tournament and managed to defeat defending champions India 2-0.
Coach Jude Menezes’ women began the campaign with a 6-0 win over Singapore and also drubbed Malaysia 8-0. The team topped Pool A with nine points. On the other hand, China will be not be an easy opponent, who are capable of overcoming Japan. China began the Asian tourney with a 6-1 win over Thailand and then suffered a 4-0 loss against South Korea.
Chinese women confirmed semifinals after thrashing Indonesia 7-0 in their last Pool B match.
Significant victory
The ambassador of Japan in the Sultanate of Oman, Jota Yamamoto, said that the victory of Japanese hockey team against Malaysia team and topping the group in the Women’s Asia Cup is a great move for the team in the event.
“The triumphs in the previous fixtures against Singapore and India assisted on securing the spot for the semis in the Asian event and to advance to FIH Hockey World Cup in 2022. We hope to see top show from Japan team in the semifinal and move to the final match to compete for the title,” the Ambassador said.
The Japanese diplomatic and staff of Japan embassy were keen to attend all the team matches in the Women’s Asia Cup Muscat 2022 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. “A special thanks to the Sultanate of Oman government, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Oman Hockey Association (OHA) for hosting this prestigious Asian championship. A dedicated thanks for the organisers for their kind treatment and hospitality,” he ended.
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