A formidable force, China, make it to the final of the Women's Champions Trophy 2024 for the third time, after dominating Malaysia 3-1 at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium on Tuesday. However, Malaysia put up a good fight in the showdown, avoiding a clean sweep. (Match Highlights)
After missing two penalty corner opportunities, DENG Qiuchan finally opened the scoring for China in the 5th minute of the first quarter.
China continued to assert control in the second quarter, with FAN Yunxia converting a penalty corner in the 13th minute to double the lead. Malaysia had their chances, earning two penalty corners, but failed to convert.
The drama continued when TAN Jinzhuang scored China's third goal in the second quarter, converting another penalty corner at the 7:24 mark. Throughout the game, China earned six penalty corners, converting two of them, and created 24 circle penetrations.
However, Malaysia managed to break China's clean-sheet hopes in the third quarter.
After three consecutive penalty corners, MOHD Khairunnisa found the back of the net, giving Malaysia their first goal.
Despite the loss, Malaysia put up a strong fight, making 11 circle penetrations and earning nine penalty corners, though they only converted one. Their penalty corner efficiency was 11.11%, and they conceded three goals throughout the match.
This semi-final marked a major milestone for Malaysia, who had earlier lost 5-0 to China and 4-0 to India in the first two matches but bounced back with a 1-0 win over South Korea and a 2-0 victory against Thailand. Despite a narrow 2-1 defeat to Japan, the team advanced to the semi-finals handing shock to the three-time champions South Korea who headed home early.
Now, China wait to see whether they will face India, who are playing Japan in the other semi-final. China, who had finished as runners-up in 2011 and 2013, will look to go one step further and clinch their first Women's Asian Champions Trophy title this time.
