India vs China, FIH Women's Pro League 2023-24: China come from behind to beat India 2-1

Bhubaneswar, Feb 3: India's campaign in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 began with a 1-2 loss to China at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday (February 3).

Vandana Katariya (15') opened the scoring for India, but goals from Wen Dan (40') and Bingfeng Gu (52') secured a comeback win for China in the second half. It was the first win for the Chinese against the Indians in Pro League history.

India initiated the game by trying to control the pace with swift passes but struggled to pose significant threats. The first opportunity of the match fell to China after an errant clearance by India's goalkeeper, Savita, but China failed to capitalise. Hua Liu missed a chance towards the end of the first quarter with her reverse shot going wide.

IND vs CHN: Vandana Katariya gives India early lead

In the dying minutes of the first quarter, Vandana Katariya deflected Lalremsiami's cross to give India the lead. China responded by earning a penalty corner early in the second quarter, but India's defence thwarted the threat. China continued to press in the second quarter, but India managed to maintain their lead till halftime.

CHN vs IND: China Equalise, Take Lead in 2nd Half

China answered by earning a penalty corner as soon as the second quarter began but Bichu Devi Kharibam and Ishika Chaudhary remained alert and diffused the threat to their goal.

China took the initiative as the second quarter progressed but India rebuffed China's advances and attempted to hurt them on the occasional counterattack. However, both teams failed to create any significant openings and the first half ended 1-0 in India's favour.

Sangita Kumari and Salima Tete combined for a quick give-and-go as the second half began, enabling Sangita to initiate a dangerous run across the baseline but she couldn't find a teammate in the shooting circle and the chance went begging.

With five minutes to go in the third quarter, China's Jiaqi Zhong dodged past a couple of Indian defenders and passed the ball to Wen Dan who dinked the ball over Savita to bring China back on level terms. India managed to earn a penalty corner in the last minute of the third quarter but they failed to score.

China shifted up a gear in the last quarter, pegging India back into their defensive half and eventually earning a penalty corner. After four re-awards, Bingfeng Gu pounced on a rebound and slapped the ball into the goal to give China the lead in the match.

India aimed to restore parity but were unable to make inroads towards that end. As the game drew to a close China were awarded a series of penalty corners but Savita stood tall in goal and the match ended 2-1 in China's favour.