Tokyo Olympics: Two steps to gold - India take on Argentina in women's hockey semifinal

Sonepat, Shahabad (Haryana), Kolasib, Lulkidihi, Roshnabad or Badkichapar: the Indian women’s hockey players hail from different parts of the country. But they are driven by a common passion and purpose. “Desh ki liya kuch karna hai,” is the team mantra.
They have already done enough to make the country proud, transforming themselves from also-rans to podium contenders as they reached the semifinals at the Tokyo Games with a commendable win over Australia.
Two steps away from their maiden Olympic medal, Rani Rampal and her band of courageous girls will look to punch above their weight again when they take on world No. 4 Argentina in their last-4 clash on Wednesday. What is required of them is a knockout punch despite the odds.

While they go about rewriting history, it is important that the Sjoerd Marijne-coached team stay focused as the weight of expectations has increased after their male counterparts failed to overcome the Belgian challenge in the semifinals on Tuesday.
The Las Leonas will start as formbook favourites. The twotime silver medallists (2000, 2012) are looking to return to the podium, having missed out on one at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The two teams faced each other earlier this year when India had toured Argentina, playing seven matches against various teams.
They faced the senior side in three matches, splitting points in the first match (1-all) before going down in the next two (0-2, 2-3).

The key difference between Australia and Argentina is their on-field approach. While the Aussies are all aggression and pace, Argentina are conventional in their approach, focusing on the midfield and controlling the pace of the match. Patience is a virtue that they exhibit in abundance to wear the opposition down.
Not only will India have to play out of their skin, they will also have to display the bold brand of hockey like they did against Australia.
India will be in with a real chance if the defenders can keep away from conceding penalty corners which is among Argentina’s strengths. Also, the midfield and strikers will have to use the flanks well to move ahead.

Dutchman Marijne conceded Argentina is the team to beat.
“It will be a difficult match for us, Argentina is a good team. We played them in January and we know that Argentina is a hard team to beat. Their defence is very strong. We have to convert our goal-scoring opportunities like we converted the penalty corner against Australia. It’s all about focusing on the task and staying in the moment.”