LIMBURG: The Indian women’s hockey team made a disappointing start to its tour of Germany as it went down 2-3 against China.
While Navneet Kaur scored in the 24th and 45th minute, Chen Jiali (9), Zhong Jiaqi (45) and Xu Yanan (51) were the goal scorers for China on Sunday night.
Both teams got off the blocks swiftly in the first quarter. It was India which attacked aggressively and earned a PC in the third minute but it was saved by a strong Chinese defence.
A few minutes later, an infringement while defending saw India concede a penalty stroke. China capitalised on the chance and scored its first goal in the ninth minute. The next few minutes saw both the teams trade PCs but neither could convert from the chances.
India began the second quarter on a positive note. A well-executed attack saw it win back-to-back PCs but the team could not convert from these chances. A fierce attack in the 24th minute saw Kaur score a fine field goal.
India’s next big opportunity came in the 45th minute when an in-form Kaur scored her second goal for a 2-1 lead in the match.
However, it was short-lived as China was quick to equalise with a PC through Zhong. It further grabbed a decisive 3-2 lead when Xu scored in the 51st minute.
India will next take on Germany in back-to-back matches on Tuesday and Thursday.