The whistle signaled the end of hopes for the Indian team, which watched the medal they had worked and dreamed for for months at the World Cup slip away. Savita Punia, one of the most experienced players in the reserve zone, and her teammate goalkeeper Bichhu Devi could not hold back their tears. Ishika Choudhary, sitting behind them, was stunned that the team was eliminated from the semi-finals, having come so close to winning a medal in their first world tournament.
The second stage of the match against Australia ended in a 0-0 draw. Although the teams had equal points, the goal difference prevented India from advancing further. The players fought until the last second of the match, but no goal appeared, leading to the collapse of the semi-final dream.
After the game, the atmosphere was even more emotional. The eyes of the players leaving the field and waiting for the bus were red. Some sat in silence, others tried to hide their tears, hugging their teammates. Their faces spoke volumes about how much this single result undermined their inner strength.
During the interview, head coach Shord Marin looked dejected, and his sadness could not hide the players' pain. Senior players, who participated in the World Cup for the first time alongside younger colleagues, supported them, including the team's scientific consultant and sports preparation manager Ven Lombard.
For 11 players on the Indian team, this was their first World Cup. The pain of being eliminated so close to the semi-finals, despite high expectations, was likely inexpressible. One of the players, speaking to her mother on the phone while sitting on the stairs, expressed her pain in a single sentence: 'This was the best chance. We got so close, and now we don't know when we will get this chance again.'
Savita Punia, who has played in three World Cups, stood in silence, having little to say. She only said: 'It was the best chance.'
The tears of experienced midfielder Nehi Goel did not stop. When she was offered the goal of winning the gold medal at the Asian Games, she simply nodded in agreement. Perhaps at that moment, her eyes spoke more than words.
The Indian women's hockey team has never won a medal at the World Cup. Their best result was achieved at the first World Cup in France in 1974, when the team finished fourth. Now they have a match for fifth or sixth place on August 27th. A win in this match could secure the best result for India at the World Cup, but at that moment, it was not enough consolation for the players.
When they were told that even fifth place would be the best result for India, one of the players responded emotionally: 'A medal is a medal, isn't it?'
Captain Salima Tete also shared the team's feelings. She said: 'We are not happy because after being so close to the medal, we shouldn't have missed this chance. We worked so hard for this. We played well, but we couldn't finish.' Salima emphasized that the team supports each other in both defeats and victories. She added: 'We learned that we cannot miss any chance. Now we need to play for fifth place, and we will return. We haven't stopped fighting, and we won't stop in this last match.' She admitted that this day did not belong to their team, although the players had shown excellent play in every match before. Salima concluded: 'Playing on such a big arena and leaving empty-handed is not very pleasant. But we will boost the team's morale and leave by taking fifth place.'
The medal remained out of reach for India. However, after the final whistle, amidst the current tears, remained the image of this team—the Indian team that fought until the end, reached the door of the medal, but the dream slipped right before their eyes.