Hockey News: India registered the second draw in the FIH Hockey Women’s WC, held 1-1 by China

The Pool B match got off to an intense start as India and China aimed to record their first victory at the tournament. Within the regulation time, Katariya Vandana in the 44th minute was the goalscorer for India, while Zheng Jiali in the 25th minute was the only one to score for China.

It was a well-balanced first half, with both the squads struggling to open the scoring. The Indian side launched consecutive attacks to test the Chinese defensive line and fired the only shot of the first quarter. The Chinese goalkeeper Liu Ping held firm and stopped it with ease. China finally got a breakthrough with five minutes left in the first half as Zhang Xindan broke through the Indian defensive line to send the ball to Zheng Jiali. The Chinese striker calmly slotted the ball past the Indian goalkeeper Savita to make it 1-0.

Chinese side attempted to build on the momentum in the second half but failed to widen the lead. Gu Bingfeng fired a ball above the goal from a penalty corner while Zhang Xiaoxue missed connecting a crucial cross. The miss proved disastrous for China as Katariya Vandana flicked a rebound from a penalty corner into the net past the Chinese goalkeeper Liu Ping to equalize the score with just one minute left in the third quarter.

The India squad got an advantage in the ending moments of the fourth quarter as Zheng Jiali was handed a yellow card. The Chinese side launched a barrage of crosses into the Indian box, but Savita held firm to deny the Chinese side a winning goal. The final whistle rang, and both teams walked away with one point each for the second time in the tournament.

In a post-match interview, Katariya Vandana said, “We are disappointed because we should have won the match. We worked hard. Hopefully, we will win the next game.

India will face New Zealand in their next Pool B match on July 7.