Asian Champions Trophy, Hockey: India’s impressive win against China, a story of two fine field goals

Salima Tete made it 2-0 successful the 37th minute, capping disconnected different good move. Deepika rounded things disconnected successful the last seconds, scoring from a punishment country aft China had taken their goalkeeper off.

China are the reigning Olympic Games metallic medallists aft their fairy communicative tally successful Paris earlier this year, but person travel to Bihar with a much-changed squad. That said, they are inactive the closest to India successful presumption of prime truthful it volition beryllium a changeable successful the limb for what caput manager Harendra Singh is trying to physique with his team.

Well-worked finishes

The communicative of India’s triumph was however well-constructed the archetypal 2 goals were. Salima’s broadside had started the lucifer good and could person scored with immoderate fig of chances they created successful the aboriginal exchanges.

With 4 minutes to spell successful the half, we saw a teaser for the archetypal extremity that would travel later. From the close touchline, Sushila drilled a walk debased and hard towards Sangita, but the deflection didn’t rather enactment retired adjacent it resulted successful a punishment corner. But Sushila repeated it close aft fractional time, this clip Sangita’s first-touch deflection was truthful well-placed that the Chinese goalkeeper had nary clip to react.

“If you spot that Sangita extremity again, you’ll spot the benignant of walk she received. Sushila Chanu is Sushila Chanu for a reason, she has perfected flat-slap walk implicit the years,” manager Harendra said aft the match. “It was a slap, but she besides sliced it somewhat. And for idiosyncratic coming astatine it from the close side, each it needs is simply a interaction towards the goal. It was a world-class pass.”

The celebrations that followed the extremity were indicative of however the efforts connected the grooming crushed translated into that moment. Sangita and Sushila shared a carnivore hug by the dugout soon after.

“All my teammates cognize that I person that flat-slapped walk aimed towards the near ft of the strikers,” Sushila said. “I person a bully transportation with my teammates. I did that during the World Cup (against NZ erstwhile Lalremsiami scored), and astatine the Commonwealth Games excessively wherever Vandana made the aforesaid deflection. I archer our strikers earlier the match, reminding them to beryllium acceptable for that walk from me. We were truthful blessed that it worked out, and Sangita thanked maine for that pass.”

Captain’s time out

Five minutes later, Beauty Dungdung drove towards China’s extremity from the near transmission and portion Chinese defenders backtracked, she alternatively played a cute walk to her near that recovered Preeti Dubey successful abstraction down the byline.

The guardant took 1 look astatine what was successful beforehand of her, past opened up her assemblage to play a walk into the information area. Salima made a precocious tally from midfield into the ellipse and didn’t person to interruption stride, directing the walk past Wu, who was again near with small clip to react.

Moments earlier that 2nd goal, Salima had travel adjacent to scoring but her changeable from the close transmission was inches wide, causing Harendra to grin wryly and rima “Oh god!” But Salima wouldn’t beryllium denied her spot connected the scoresheet.

The skipper has been superb close done the tourney truthful far, marauding up and down the tract successful a cardinal role, but a extremity had eluded her till tonight. And she punched the aerial successful solemnisation aft yet uncovering the backmost of the net. It wasn’t conscionable the goal, but a mates of important interventions successful heavy defence erstwhile China were successful large position, that earned Salima the subordinate of the lucifer award. She was important to India’s pressing arsenic well.

“Every 2nd shot we tried to enactment unit and triumph possession backmost wrong 5 seconds, and we were palmy excessively astir times,” Harendra said. “The astir important happening contiguous was, we didn’t concede punishment corners erstwhile nether pressure.”

India play Japan connected Sunday successful the last group-stage fixture earlier the semifinals connected Tuesday.