The Indian women’s hockey team began its tour of Germany with a loss to China, going down 2-3. While Navneet Kaur scored in the 24th and 45th minutes, China’s goal scorers on Sunday night were Chen Jiali (9), Zhong Jiaqi (45), and Xu Yanan (51′).
In the first quarter, both teams got off to a fast start. India pushed strongly and gained a penalty corner in the third minute, but it was saved by a tough Chinese defending. A few minutes later, India was awarded a penalty stroke due to an infraction while defending. China took advantage of the opportunity and scored their first goal in the ninth minute. Both sides traded PCs in the next minutes, but neither could capitalise on chances.
India started the second quarter on a high note. They won back-to-back PCs thanks to a well-executed offensive, but the squad failed to capitalise on these opportunities. Kaur scored a fantastic field goal in the 24th minute after a strong onslaught. India’s next great chance came in the 45th minute, when an in-form Kaur scored her second goal of the game, giving India a 2-1 lead.
It was, however, short-lived, as China quickly equalised with a PC via Zhong. When Xu scored in the 51st minute, they took a decisive 3-2 lead. On Tuesday and Thursday, India will play Germany in back-to-back matches.
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