Defending champion India lost 1-2 to three-time champion China in the third match of the Women’s Youth Asia Cup on Wednesday.
The replay of the 2012 final lived up to expectations, with India creating chances and dominating the first two quarters, but the score remained 0-0.
The Chinese team made a change in the third quarter. Captain Tan Jinzhuang (32nd) scored a penalty kick and Wang Lihang (42nd) took a corner kick to give the Chinese team a decisive advantage.
India responded in the 56th minute with Deepika, the tournament’s leading scorer, scoring six goals and showing her ability to close the gap at the Oman Hockey Stadium.
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The Chinese team ranks first in Group A with 9 points, and the Indian team ranks second with 6 points, the same as the Malaysian team.
India will take on Thailand in the fourth and final league match on Thursday.
There were also two green cards in this game, and the Indian combination Khaidem Shileima Chanu and Vaishnavi Phalke received the green cards.
The defending champions registered convincing victories earlier, beating Bangladesh 13-1 and Malaysia 5-0 in the first two games of the five-team tournament.
The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday and the final is scheduled for Sunday. In the last summit held in Kakamigahara, Japan, the Indian team defeated South Korea 2-1 to win the championship.
