India defeats China 1‑0 to clinch Women’s Junior Hockey Asia Cup
Moqi (China), September 13: The Indian junior women’s hockey team defeated hosts China 1-0 on Sunday to win the AHF Junior Asia Cup 2026 title. With this victory, the Indian team completed a hat-trick of titles, winning the Women’s Junior Asia Cup for the third consecutive time. The Indian team also qualified for the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup.
The heroine of India’s victory was Sanika Chandrakant Mane, who scored a brilliant goal in the 17th minute of the match to give the team the lead. Her goal proved decisive in the end.
Hockey India has also announced rewards for this historic achievement of the Indian team. Each player of the team will receive a prize money of ₹3 lakh, while each member of the support staff will receive ₹1.5 lakh.
The final match started cautiously, with the pressure clearly visible on both teams. China’s junior women’s hockey team tried to pressure India by maintaining maximum possession, but the Indian defense displayed remarkable composure. The score remained 0-0 in the first quarter.
India took the lead early in the second quarter. Sanika scored a brilliant goal in the 17th minute to give India the lead. China’s biggest chance to equalize came from the only penalty corner of the match, but their attempt failed to convert. India led 1-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, China launched an aggressive attack to try and score, but failed to score. The final quarter was entirely dominated by the Indian defense. The Indian players displayed extremely disciplined and strong defensive play around their circle. China repeatedly tried to equalize, but failed to penetrate the Indian defense. With the final whistle, India secured the trophy with a resounding 1-0 victory.
India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. The team topped the Elite Pool with three wins and one draw. They then defeated South Korea 5-1 in the semi-finals and then successfully defended the title by defeating China 1-0 in the final.
