Sunelita Toppo scored a brace as the Indian women’s hockey team trounced Singapore 7-0 in their final Pool B match to set up the Asian Games semifinal against Korea here Sunday.
Sunelita again registered her name in the score sheet, again directing in a Deepika’s flick from a penalty corner from a variation.
Rutuja made the scorelin 5-0 with a fine field goal in the 30th minute. Skipper Salima Tete (17th minute), Sunelita (22nd, 24th), Lalremsiami (26th), Rutuja Dadoso Pisal (29th), Nikki Pradhan (35th) and Deepika (55th) scored for India. Unfancied Singapore gave India a run for their money in the first quarter even though the Salima Tete-led side dominated thner e proceedings. Singapore were particularly brilliant in their penalty corner defence as they denied India as many as eight penalty corners. The play was mostly in the Singapore half with India mounting attacks after attacks and in the process earning innumerable penalty corners but the Singaporeans defended with heart to deny their opponents. But two minutes into the second quarter, skipper Salima finally gave India the lead with a fine field goal.