Kakamigahara (Japan), 30 October 2017: The Indian Women’s Hockey Team came up with an all-round performance to beat dangerous China 4-1 in their second Pool A match at the Women’s Asia Cup 2017 here at Kakamigahara Kawasaki Stadium on Monday. It was goals by Gurjit Kaur (19’), Navjot Kaur (32’), Neha Goyal (49’) and Rani (58’) that ensured India kept up their winning momentum in the tournament. The team had previously beaten Singapore 10-0 in their opening match.
However, after the 10-minute break, India came back strongly to score a field goal in the 32nd minute through Navjot Kaur and double their lead. But a defensive error in the circle saw India concede a PC in the 38th minute. China capitalized on this opportunity and narrowed the goal difference to 1-2 through Qiuxia Cui’s successful conversion. The final few minutes of the match was tense with China pushing hard to equalize but Indian defense stayed resolute. In the 49th minute, India won a crucial PC and a clever variation saw Neha Goyal deflect the ball past China goalkeeper Jiao Ye and clinch the much-needed 3-1 lead for her team.
The last 10-minute of the match saw both teams trade PCs. While India won two PCs and China won a PC, both teams could not make use of the chance to score. However, the action didn’t end at that as India skipper Rani scored a sensational field goal in the 58th minute to fetch India a 4-1 lead and post a strong victory.