Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 20 : Indian Women’s Hockey Team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne reflected on India’s emphatic 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their Asian Games 2026 opener, applauding the performance but stressing that they need to move on to the next match against Indonesia, scheduled for tomorrow.
India’s forward Deepika was the star of the show in the team’s 19-0 win, scoring eight goals, including five from penalty corners, while Ishika also completed a hat-trick as India produced a one-sided performance.
In a video posted by Hockey India on X, Sjoerd Marijne praised India’s performance, highlighting their penalty corners, field goals and chance creation, while stressing the importance of recovering quickly and shifting focus to the next match against Indonesia.
“Today was a good match. We got a lot of PCs. We scored a lot of field goals. We created enough. I think we did our work, and that was the most important thing for today. Now we have to move on to tomorrow against Indonesia. So, recovery and up to the next match from the tournament," he said.
https://x.com/TheHockeyIndia/status/2101588252742578463?s=20
Coming to the match, Lalremsiami opened the scoring for India in the sixth minute after Navneet Kaur's initial attempt was saved by the Uzbekistan goalkeeper, but India recovered the ball, and Lalremsiami slotted it home.
Deepika soon doubled India's lead with a powerful strike from the right side before Ishika added the third goal after receiving a fine pass from Sunelita and finding the net with a first-time shot. Baljeet then made it 4-0 before the end of the first quarter by converting a rebound.
India continued their attacking display in the second quarter, with Neha scoring a brilliant reverse-hit goal to make it 5-0. Deepika then converted a penalty corner to score her second goal of the match, followed by Rutuja's rebound finish to extend the lead.
Deepika completed her hat-trick with another penalty corner conversion as India went into halftime with an 8-0 lead.
The third quarter saw India further extend their advantage, with Deepika scoring four more goals, all from penalty corners, taking her tally to seven in the match. Ishika, Sakshi Rana and Lalthantluangi also found the net as India raced to a 15-0 lead.
Navneet Kaur added another goal in the final quarter as India continued their relentless attack. Deepika and Ishika completed their hat-tricks, while Lalthantluangi, Neha and others contributed to the emphatic victory.
Deepika finished with eight goals, while Ishika scored three. Neha and Lalthantluangi netted twice each, with Lalremsiami, Baljeet, Sakshi Rana and Navneet Kaur adding one goal apiece.
India's commanding win marked a strong start to their campaign, with the team showcasing their attacking strength and penalty corner efficiency. 
India has so far won two medals and also confirmed a medal at the Asian Games 2026, with Elavenil Valarivan winning silver in the women’s 10m air rifle individual event, while Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod claimed silver in the team event. Suchika Tariyal also secured a medal after defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the women’s Traditional 60kg quarterfinal.