India beat South Korea 2-0 in Asian Games 2026 semi-final to set up final with China
India's women's hockey team defeated South Korea 2-0 in the second semi-final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, booking a place in the gold-medal match against defending champions China on October 2. Ishika opened the scoring in the 44th minute and captain Salima Tete added a second in the 48th minute to secure the victory.
India reached their fourth Asian Games final after overcoming five-time champions South Korea, while China advanced from the day's first semi-final by beating hosts Japan 4-2 in a shootout following a goalless 60 minutes. India spent long spells controlling possession and territory but were repeatedly denied by South Korean goalkeeper Seoyeon Lee during the opening two quarters.
South Korea threatened inside the opening minute with a long ball into the Indian circle, and India immediately won a penalty corner in the second minute after the ball struck a defender’s foot. Deepika’s early attempt from that corner was saved by Lee diving to her left, and Baljeet’s work down the left produced a Navneet Kaur shot that Lee also blocked.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern with India forcing multiple penalty corners and Lee keeping the scoreline level using her glove on one occasion. Lalremsiami’s overlapping runs and Ishika’s attempts to thread through defenders kept India probing, while a 28th-minute video referral led to a penalty corner but Navneet’s direct effort was stopped by the rusher; the interval score remained 0-0.
After half-time Lalremsiami nearly opened the scoring with a back-flick and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal tested the Korean defence with a reverse hit in the 36th minute, as South Korea increasingly sat deep. The deadlock was finally broken in the 44th minute when India earned a penalty corner, Deepika played a dummy and Ishika finished with a first-touch push to make it 1-0.
India extended the lead in the 48th minute when Salima Tete completed an overlapping run on the right side of the Korean circle and converted to put the score at 2-0. A Korean video referral overturned a penalty-corner decision in the 54th minute, and after another re-awarded corner Deepika’s flick was blocked by Lee before a Korean defender made a goal-line save on the rebound and Deepika’s follow-up attempt went wide; South Korea earned a late penalty corner in the 59th minute but India held firm to preserve a clean sheet.
By reaching the final, India have secured at least a silver medal at the Asian Games 2026 and will meet China in the gold-medal match on October 2, after China defeated Japan 4-2 in a shootout following a scoreless 60 minutes in their semi-final.