In their first match of the tour, it was the France ‘A’ women’s hockey team who defeated hosts India ‘A’ by a narrow margin of 1-0 on Friday at the Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Synthetic Hockey Stadium in Lucknow.
In a match which could have gone either way, it was France’s Ines Lardeur who scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute through a penalty corner to inflict the defeat on the Indians.
In an exciting match filled with sufficient opportunities for both teams to score, it was the French and Indian defenders who were solid throughout the match, not allowing the forwards to convert their chances on multiple occasions.
The first two quarters saw both the teams have a rusty start as neither could find the back of the net even though they had a few opportunities. The India ‘A’ women’s team, consisting of players from the Indian development women’s core group, and a few youngsters who have recently represented the Indian senior women’s hockey team.
On the other hand, the France ‘A’ women’s team utilised their opportunity in the 37th minute when they were awarded a penalty corner. It was the 22-year-old Ines Lardeur who produced a calm finish to give her team an important lead in the match.
The hosts, led by captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Lalremsiami, tried to make inroads into the French defence, but could not find an equaliser as the visitors protected their one-goal lead to register the win in the first match of the tour.
The India ‘A’ women’s team will play their second match against France on February 20.