The Indian women’s hockey team scored a late goal to eke out a narrow 1-0 victory over Ireland in a must-win penultimate pool match to stay alive in the Olympics in Tokyo on Friday.

Needing a win to keep their hopes alive after three consecutive losses, India waited anxiously for 57 minutes before Navneet Kaur scored the winner to keep her side in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth.

India will now need to win their final Pool A match against South Africa on Saturday and hope for Ireland to face defeat at the hands of Great Britain to seal their quarterfinal berth.

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“We had so many penalty corners and Ireland defended well”, said India captain Rani. “We had so many opportunities and we missed so many opportunities. There was a lot of pressure because this was a must-win game for both teams. And I am so proud because we stayed calm.”

The top four teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stage.

Inputs from PTI