Indian women missed more than a dozen chances before finding their scoring touch to thrash Thailand 6-0 in their last league match of the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Indians scored just one goal in the first 30 minutes against the World No. 45 side, but made up in the last two quarters to finish on top of Group A.
The margin could have been bigger had the host converted the opportunities into goals.
India will now play Singapore in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Coach Roelant Oltmans had expressed unhappiness over India managing just one penalty corner against Poland despite penetrating the circle 26 times.
On Tuesday, India set that record right, earning 13 penalty corners. But it converted only once with Jaspreet Kaur scoring on the rebound in the 38th minute.
Amandeep Kaur opened the scoring with a deflection off a Soundarya Yendala pass in the 25th minute. India had, in fact, been awarded its first goal 30 seconds into the game when Vandana Katariya seemingly sent the ball flying in from the top of the striking circle.
However, the teams had already re-started play before the umpires realised there had been no touch to the ball inside the striking circle and reversed the decision.
Thailand goalkeeper Jesdaporn Tongsun was the most impressive performer, bringing off repeated saves to thwart the Indian strikers. The host changed the gameplan in the second half, aiming for the net instead of ground shots into the goal to get past Jesdaporn, and succeeded too.
Rani scored twice for the host, as did Jaspreet, while Vandana finally got her name on the scoresheet with a legitimate goal in the 45th minute, deflecting a long pass from Sunita Lakra into the goal.
Poland finished second in Group A with a 4-0 win over Ghana, which finished without a win, in its last league match.
In Group B, Malaysia expectedly won its last league match against Singapore 5-0 to finish on top, Fazilla Sylvester Silin scoring thrice for the winner. It will now play Ghana, which finished at the bottom of Group A, in the quarterfinals.
In another match, Kazakhstan captain Natalya Gataulina scored all three goals to upset higher-ranked Russia 3-2.
The results: Group A: India 6 (Jaspreet Kaur 2, Rani 2, Vandana Katariya, Amandeep Kaur) bt Thailand 0; Poland 4 (Magdalena Zagajska, Amelia Katerla, Oriana Walasek, Paula Slawinska) bt Ghana 0.
Group B: Kazakhstan 3 (Natalya Gataulina 3) bt Russia 2 (Margarita Drepenkina, Kristina Shumilina); Malaysia 5 (Fazilla Sylvester Silin 3, Rabiatul Mohamed, Nurul Mansur) bt Singapore 0.
Quarterfinal line-up: Ghana vs Malaysia (1.15 p.m.), Thailand vs Kazakhstan (3.30 p.m.), Poland vs Russia (5.45 p.m.), India vs Singapore (8 p.m.).
