JAKARTA: China’s upward progression in the tournament ended on a high as they edged Korea 2-1 in the bronze medal match of the women’s Hockey event of the Asian Games in Jakarta.
The coach of the Chinese said had the following to say “It was not easy for the players to lift themselves after the semis defeat. But they showed character and wanted so much to finish on the podium,” said Jamilon.“We knew how Korea would play and needed to absorb the pressure and capitalize wherever we got the opportunity”
Both the teams wanted to finish on the podium and displayed good attacking hockey with play switching from end to end.
China forced a penalty corner in the 9th minute but the attempt by their star Number 2 Gu Bing Feng was saved by keeper Jang Soo Ji.Gu Bing Feng gave China the lead in the 20th minute via a penalty corner. Korea turned up the pressure with attempts from Cho Yink Young and Cho Hye Jin, both seeing their attempts being smothered by De Jiao Jao.
The third quarter saw the Koreans putting the Chinese defense under immense pressure.Song Xiao Ming extended the Chinese lead to 2-0 in the 58th minute.Korea managed to score in the 59th minute through Kim Ok Ju but it was too late to salvage anything.
China managed to secure the podium spot, which would serve as a significant morale booster for the side as their integrity would push them to become a force to be reckoned with at the Asian and International stage.
