India stumble against USA in opener
Hindustan TimesThe mention of Paris, the City of Love with a penchant for art, fashion and culture, comes across an unusually high number of times through the streets of sleepy and nippy Ranchi. Ranchi: Monika of India tries to score a goal during the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers match between India and United States, at Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium India’s route to the 2024 Paris Olympics, though, encountered a huge stumbling block to begin with, as the hosts went down 0-1 to lower-ranked USA on the opening night at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium here on Saturday. The crushing defeat threatens to derail the women’s team’s hopes of just getting to the Paris Games after a memorable fourth-place finish in Tokyo three years ago. With a couple of minutes to go, Sangita Kumari’s reverse flick went wide while a Navneet Kaur attempt was saved by USA goalkeeper Kelsey Bing. A deafening roar engulfed the stadium third minute into the final quarter as Udita’s flick off another PC finally went it but, as it turned out after the video referral, it had brushed Jyoti’s foot along the way.