TOKYO: Britain beat Spain in a penalty shootout to secure the last semi-final spot in the women’s Olympic hockey tournament on Monday, joining India, Argentina and the Netherlands in the last four.

After a tense 2-2 draw in regular time, Britain won the game by scoring two shootout goals, while Spain missed four times thanks to a superb performance by Britain’s veteran goalie Madeleine Hinch.

In the semi-finals, Britain will play the Netherlands, who defeated New Zealand 3-0 thanks to goals by Lidewij Welten, Frederique Matla and Lauren Stam.

India pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory over Australia, and will face Argentina in the semi-finals on Wednesday after the South Americans got past the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 with a 3-0 win over Germany.

Gurjit Kaur scored India’s winning goal from a first-half penalty corner, beating Australia goalie Rachael Lynch who had kept a clean sheet in the previous four matches.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2021