Taking the pitch with confidence against a team that had
beaten it 2-5 in the Group A league, India played superbly to lead the
Chinese 2-0 after 25 minutes when a 10-minute interruption because of rain
hampered its rhythm.
Deep Grace Ekka scored off a seventh minute penalty stroke
while skipper and midfielder Ritu Rani scored a field goal four minutes later. India had the
better of the exchanges for another quarter-hour before a spell of rain forced
play to be suspended.
Five minutes after play resumed Na Wang scored a field goal
to reduce the margin and turn the tide. She scored off a penalty corner two
minutes into the second half to restore parity. Weija Hao struck two goals in
three minutes from the 43rd minute to give China a 4-2 lead.
Jiaqi Li completed the tally in the 48th minute. Though India had done well to beat Japan 2-1 in the semifinal, it could be said
that India
played its best hockey in the tournament in the first 25 minutes of the final.
The Indian team has qualified for the Junior Women’s World
Cup to be held next year.
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