India outclasses Wales

India outclasses Wales

With a spot in the semifinals of the Qualifiers and, more importantly, in the 2026 FIH Women’s World Cup secured following Scotland’s victory over Uruguay earlier in the day, India produced a commanding display to defeat Wales 4-1 in the World Cup Qualifiers at the G.M.C. Balayogi Hockey Ground here on Wednesday.

The host nearly went ahead in the second minute. Sunelita Toppo latched onto Neha’s cross-field aerial shot on the left and found Lalremsiami in the circle, but the forward’s first touch let her down.

India continued to dominate, with Navneet and Lalremsiami linking well before goalkeeper Ffion Horrell rushed out to halt a promising counter. The breakthrough came soon after.

Wales failed to clear their lines in the face of sustained Indian pressure. Sakshi Rana pounced on the loose ball, shifted to her left and fired a powerful smash into the back of the net.

India kept pushing for a second, looking to settle the contest before the interval. The Welsh defence held firm for a while, relying on disciplined positioning and a few wayward Indian attempts to stay in the game.

But the Women in Blue doubled their advantage in the 29th minute. Navneet Kaur created space on the edge of the circle and struck hard, with the ball taking a deflection off Horrell’s pad before finding the net.