Gurjit Kaur's one goal in the first quarter was enough to give the Indian hockey team a 1-0 victory in the championship game.

On Saturday, the Indian hockey team defeated Spain 1-0 in the Women's FIH Nations Cup 2022 final, earning a spot in the 2023-24 FIH Pro League.

This was the maiden season of the Women's FIH Nations Cup, with a promotion to next year's Women's Pro League hockey up for grabs for the victor.

Gurjit Kaur (5') scored the winning goal of the match in the first quarter.

Spain started the match strongly and almost took an early lead but India captain Savita Punia, the shootout hero from the semi-finals against Ireland, performed an incredible save with her toes to keep out a Spanish shot from a penalty corner.

India got their first penalty corner of the game at the five-minute mark. India's dismal conversion rate from PCs has been a source of concern for head coach Janneke Schopman throughout the tournament, but when it counted most, Gurjit Kaur delivered with a well-placed drive to give India the lead.

Following the initial goal, India, the world No. 8 team in the current hockey rankings, maintained it tight at the back, as did Spain, who has an excellent defensive record in the competition.

The only two solid scoring chances up until the halftime buzzer were from penalty corners. While Spain goalkeeper Clara Perez managed to deny Gurjit a second goal at full stretch, Savita pulled off another spectacular save with her feet to keep away an attempt from Lucia Jimenez.

With India 1-0 ahead, the second-half saw both sides raise their zeal in attack. Clara Perez intervened again to put her team within touching distance as India came close to doubling their advantage again through a PC.

As the game progressed, Spain began to pose some open-play issues to the Indian defence. Lucia Jimenez ultimately defeated Savita from open play after a free hit with five minutes left in the third quarter. However, following a review by the Indian camp, the goal was ruled out for a foul during the build-up.

With the score 1-0 heading into the fourth quarter, the host side had the ball in the Indian goal once more following a goalmouth scramble, but the on-field referee ruled it out due to a foul. Spain has no reviews left to appeal their case.

The home team kept pushing the screws in pursuit of a do-or-die equaliser, and it took some frantic defending by the Indian squad, along with a touch of luck, to keep their slim advantage intact.

India survived a late storm from Spain to win the game, the title, and a promotion to the Women's FIH Pro League the next season.