India and Germany collected three points each on the opening day of the Lal Bahadur Shashtri four-nation under-21 women's hockey tournament at the National Stadium.
India were lucky to walk away with a 3-2 win against New Zealand, which helped them begin their campaign on a positive note. The hosts led 2-1 at half-time but failed to keep up the pressure. New Zealand made a strong comeback by levelling the score.
In the closing stages, India skipper Poonam Rani converted a penalty corner to bring some cheer."It is good beginning. We hope to sustain our efforts in the remaining matches too," an elated Poonam said after the match.
Earlier, in the first league match of Tuesday, Germany proved to be far better than their rivals from Down Under.
Superior ball control helped the winners take an early lead. Australia came back to level the score in the second half, but Germany pumped in two more goals to stamp their authority over the contest.
{{/usCountry}}Superior ball control helped the winners take an early lead. Australia came back to level the score in the second half, but Germany pumped in two more goals to stamp their authority over the contest.
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