Hangzhou [China] : The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a 0-4 defeat against China in the first semifinal of the 19th Asian Games on Thursday.
India had numerous opportunities to score but were unable to do so, while China scored four goals thanks to goals from Jiaqi Zhong (25′), Meirong Zou (40′), Meiyu Liang (55′), and Bingfeng GU (60′).
China quickly snuck deep into India’s zone to start the game, immediately testing India’s defence.
China received the game’s first penalty corner as a result of an early aggressive move, but India’s captain and custodian Savita made an important stop to keep China from going up.
The Indian team simultaneously tried to seize control of the match by putting pressure on China and making quick passes. However, China persisted in showcasing their offensive brilliance and kept up the pressure on India, who played magnificently to keep China at bay.
China attacked aggressively to start the second quarter, earning them an early penalty corner, but Savita once more saved India with a strong stop. However, China was able to ultimately score after converting a penalty corner, in which Jiaqi Zhong’s shot (25′) was deflected off Nikki Pradhan’s foot and across the goal line.
With the scoreline in their favour, China continued to dominate India and entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Desperate to find an equaliser, India upped the ante in the third quarter, but China continued to dominate the proceedings by testing India’s defence at regular intervals and it paid off when Meirong Zou (40′) scored through a penalty corner to extend her side’s lead.
With the scoreline against them, India increased their attacking frequency and also won consecutive penalty corners but weren’t able to capitalise on them as Deep Grace Ekka’s shot inside the goal was deemed dangerous. The penultimate quarter ended with China leading 2-0.
In their pursuit of bouncing back in the game, India attacked relentlessly in the fourth and final quarter of the game, but it was China that once again found the back of the net, and this time through counter-attacking as Meiyu Liang (55′), penetrated India’s defence line at left flank and scored off rebound despite Nikki Pradhan’s attempt to save the ball.
China then went on to score one more goal in the dying minutes as Bingfeng GU (60′) converted a penalty corner to ensure a 4-0 win for her team.
With this victory, China made it to the Final of the tournament, while India will now play against either Korea or Japan in the Bronze medal match on Saturday.
