Relevance for World Cup classification matches is a matter of perspective.
For this Indian women’s team, which suffered a heart-breaking exit in its push for a semifinal berth, a best-ever finish since the inaugural 1974 edition was at stake. Having picked itself up to go again, this side earned itself a small piece of history by finishing fifth in Amstelveen at the Wagener Stadion on Thursday.
It was a counter-attacking clinic as goals from Ishika and Navneet Kaur in the second half gave India a comprehensive 3-1 win over the World No. 5-ranked Germany at the FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026.
Starting the tournament ranked ninth, Sjoerd Marijne’s India has exceeded expectations in the Netherlands, pulling off draws with China (ranked 4th), England (7th) and Australia (8th) to add to this result. It will now head into the Asian Games next month, confident of challenging for the gold.
AS IT HAPPENED | India vs Germany Highlights
Aided by a passive start from Germany, India moved the ball around sharply. It got an opening through a counter-attack, inside five minutes, but Salima Tete couldn’t connect from close range after being set up by Sakshi Rana.
Germany came alive in the second quarter, making multiple circle entries without threatening India’s goal. Germany had three Penalty Corners inside the opening 20 minutes, but its poor set-up meant India’s defence was untested for two of them.
But it was India which shaded Germany for attempts on goal, when Navneet’s powerful back-handed drive drew a save from Finja Starck. Salima was alive to a couple of rebounds but Starck kicked them both out.
Germany continued to dominate possession in the second half, but the Indian defence, which included tournament debutant, Lalthantluangi, kept clearing the danger.
Navneet, whose drag wide and swipe effort had gone cold in recent outings, managed to find an extra yard of space to convert from a PC to score India’s second.
| Photo Credit:
Hockey India
Navneet, whose drag wide and swipe effort had gone cold in recent outings, managed to find an extra yard of space to convert from a PC to score India’s second.
| Photo Credit:
Hockey India
Then, against the run of play, India opened the scoring through Ishika before the end of the third quarter. Neat stickwork from Neha, followed by a through ball, opened up Germany’s defence through the middle. Ishika composed herself before lifting the ball past Starck for her first World Cup goal.
India found plenty of joy through Germany’s centre, repeatedly catching its defence out on the counter. After having gone three games without a goal, India suddenly scored three in the space of four minutes.
Navneet, whose drag wide and swipe effort had gone cold in recent outings, managed to find an extra yard of space to convert from a PC to add the second.
At the start of the final quarter, India profited from another turnover, which ended with Navneet dribbling past defenders inside the circle and coolly lifting the ball into the roof of the net.
Germany persevered in the last stretch, but Savita Punia was alert to pull off a couple of key saves. However, the veteran couldn’t keep out Lynn Krings’ effort with 67 seconds left on the clock.
At the final hooter, there were no massive cheers from the Indian players. But they will know they can take plenty of positives from these performances as they build towards the Asian Games.
Published on Aug 27, 2026
