Indian women's team captain Asunta Lakra rued that her team missed the chance to qualify for the London Olympics.
“We had worked hard for a year for this final.... We will learn our lessons from this defeat and find the way to go ahead,” Asunta said.
The Indian captain admitted that conceding an early goal was a big setback for the team. “We gave away a goal in the wrong time. Had we not conceded that goal, things would have been different. We could not play in full flow and struggled to find the right combination.”
Unlucky
Indian coach C.R. Kumar said the side was unlucky. “We had a couple of good chances. But we could not score. We tried as hard as we could but that final pass was missing,” said Kumar.
“They (South Africa) deserved to win,” Kumar admitted graciously.
South African captain Marsha Marescia, who was chosen the player of the final, was pleased with the impressive performance of her team
“Today we played really good hockey. Right through the tournament we played consistently. Today we capped it with a fine performance.”
Marsha said her side never took India lightly. “India is always a tough opponent. Whenever we play India, we play strongly,” she said.
