~Goalkeeper Nidhi denied Uruguay thrice in the shootout to secure victory for India~
Santiago, Chile, December 9, 2025: The Indian junior women’s hockey team defeated Uruguay 3-1 in shootout after an intense 1-1 draw in their 9/12 qualifying match for the 2025 FIH Hockey Junior Women’s World Cup at the Centro Deportivo de Hockey Césped, Estadio Nacional, Santiago, on Tuesday. Manisha (19′) was the scorer for India, while Justina Arregui (60′) scored the equalizer for Uruguay.
In the first quarter, India dictated possession and controlled play, creating several chances on goal early on. However, it was Uruguay who won the first penalty corner in the fifth minute, but they hesitated to take a shot on target and squandered the opportunity.
In the 18th minute, India also won a Penalty Corner and played an interesting variation, passing the ball to Sakshi Rana at the near post, but her shot was blocked by the opposition goalkeeper. Moments later, India broke the deadlock thanks to a powerful shot from distance from Manisha (19′), as she fired the ball into the net to claim the lead for India. In the first half itself, India had eleven circle penetrations as they dominated the game while Uruguay played an extremely defensive brand of hockey.
The trend continued in the third quarter as India stayed high and forced Uruguay to play from their own half, but despite all the possession and circle entries, India could not find another goal. They also won two consecutive penalty corners halfway through the third quarter, but were unable to increase their lead.
The match started in the final quarter with plenty of end-to-end action as Uruguay played much more freely. They even won their second penalty corner of the day in the 49th minute, but the Indian goalkeeper made an incredible save to maintain the lead. With two minutes left on the clock, Uruguay swapped their goalkeeper for a field player to increase their numbers and it certainly paid off. With just two seconds left on the clock, Uruguay won a penalty stroke with their last move. Justina Arregui (60′) stepped to the spot and converted the ball to push the match into a shootout.
India emerged victorious from the shootout 3-1 as Purnima Yadav, Ishika and Kanika Siwach scored from their shots and goalkeeper Nidhi denied Uruguay three times to ensure her team progressed in the tournament.
India will next play Spain in the 9th/10th place match on December 11. All matches of the 2025 FIH Junior Women’s World Cup will be streamed live on JioHotstar.