Kakamigahara, June 5 -- After an intense and well-fought 2-2 draw over four quarters, the Indian U18 Women's Hockey Team suffered a 1-3 defeat in a shootout against China in their semi-final clash at the U18 Asia Cup 2026 in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Friday.

Nousheen Naz (3') and Kiran Ekka (54') scored the goals for India, while Li ZeYan (24') and Zhang Yuzheng (48') were the goal scorers for China.

India made a bright start in the first quarter, securing the opening goal in the third minute itself. Captain Sweety Kujur played a brilliant pass from the midfield to Nousheen (3') inside the circle, who delivered a strong back-handed shot into the net to give India an early lead. Both sides did well in the midfield to create good opportunit...