South Korea beat China in a clash of the heavyweights while Kazakhstan beat Singapore in the other matches of the day.
Despite inflicting 15 goals on former champions Japan – more than any other team so far in the competition – India lost their final Group B match of the Asian Women’s Handball Championship 2024 by a 48-15 scoreline on Friday.
India’s defeat means they will now compete in the 5-8th place bracket for final placement.
India are hosting the Asian Women’s Handball Championship for the first time, with the matches being played at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.
Maninder Kaur scored India’s first goal while goalkeeper Nina Shil carried her form over from the previous match to thwart Japan’s early attacks.
As the game progressed, India moved the ball from side to side, attempting to fashion an opening through the sturdy Japan defence but the heavyweights were too strong and quickly built a considerable lead over the hosts.
In between the Japan attacks, however, there were plenty of positives for India. Midway through the half, Sushma’s long-range goal drew huge applause from the Indian fans in the stadium. Moments later, Bhawana Sharma intercepted a Japanese attack, ran through on goal and finished with aplomb.
Just before the interval, Bhawana scored another superb solo goal, while captain Diksha charged up the crowd with a brilliant save with her leg.
Former winners of the handball tournament, Japan raced ahead after the restart, diminishing India’s qualification hopes.
The hosts, however, put on a brave display and made the Japanese team toil hard for their goals.
India’s loss, combined with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s 26-17 win over Hong Kong China meant that the hosts finished third in their group and fell out of title contention.
Earlier in the day, Kazakhstan came up with a thumping 38-7 win over Singapore and their passage through to the next round was confirmed in the evening when the Republic of Korea overcame the People’s Republic of China in a battle of the heavyweights.
Led by a Player of the Match display by Lee Yeongyeong, the reigning champions beat China 25-14 to stretch their winning run in the tournament.
India will play the 5-8th place semi-final against Singapore with the winner of the clash facing either China or Hong Kong China in the placement finals.
Meanwhile, in the main bracket, South Korea will take on Iran while Kazakhstan will play Japan. All semi-final fixtures will take place on December 8.
