The Indian women’s hockey team has had a forgettable start to their Tokyo Olympics campaign. They went down 1-5 in the opener against Netherlands, the world number 1. They managed to put up a spirited display in the next match against Germany, but ended up losing the match 0-2. On Wednesday, the side up go up aginst defending champions Britain and cannot afford any more missed chances if they hope to keep their chances alive.

India created a lot of scoring opportunities against Germany but finishing was lacking from the forward line. On one occasion, Vandana Katariya was denied by the goal post too.

But not converting the penalty stroke was a huge miss.

Team India, led by Rani Rampal, are currently placed at the bottom of the six-team Pool A after two defeats. The pool is headed by the Netherlands, with Germany and Great Britain in the second and third spot respectively. Ireland is placed fourth, while South Africa is just above India at fifth. Top four sides from each pool of six will qualify for the quarterfinals.

India can take a lot of heart from its performance against the Germans given that it kept the intensity and fight intact till the final hooter.

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India’s chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said that the side is looking to improve in every match. Marijne said that India played well against Germany and created many opportunities.

“It was unfortunate that we missed our penalty stroke, but I’m happy we created many opportunities to score, which was a positive sign. We played with a lot of energy and were able to put pressure on Germany,” he said.

Ranked 11th in the world, India stand a chance to make the quarterfinals but for that to happen they will have to outplay seventh-ranked Ireland and South Africa, who are placed 16th.