Mystical Chinese
Inner Mongolia training pays off as China surprise England
CHINA kept their preparation for the hockey World Cup under wraps by training secretly in Inner Mongolia for few months and skipping all the tournaments in Asia this year.
And on Friday, the debutants unleashed their true potential by creating one of the biggest surprises in the tournament when they held world No. 7 England to a 2-2 draw in the opening Group B match at Kalinga Stadium.
Trained by the famous South Korean coach Kim Sang-ryul, the world No. 17 team played a fast attacking game to give the English players a scare before ending it with a draw.
They matched the skills, speed and power of the England team, who are playing in their 13th World Cup in a row.
Comprising players from Inner Mongolia, China shocked their opponents by taking the lead in the fifth minute through Guo Xiaoping, who showed breathtaking skills to beat three defenders before slotting the ball past England goalkeeper George Pinner.
England, who finished fourth in the 2014 World Cup in The Hague, Holland, came charging back to score two goals through Mark Gleghorne’s penalty corner drag flick in the 14th minute and Liam Ansell who put them in the lead in 48th minute.
China stepped on the gas to equalise in the last minute (59th) off a penalty corner converted by Du Talake, who was later named the man of the match.
It was an unexpected performance considering that China did not even play in the Asian Games in Jakarta in August and the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman in October.
Lack of exposure did not prevent them from showing true determination, commitment and never-saydie attitude throughout the match and even the local fans rose to their feet to give the hockey minnows a standing ovation.
The 63-year-old Sang-ryul praised his players for their tremendous fighting spirit.
“It feels good to score our first two goals in our first World Cup against a strong team like England,” said Sang-ryul.
“We lacked match exposures as the China Hockey Association are unable to send players for tournaments because of lack of fund.
“But we trained every day to improve in every aspect of the game. My players are physically fit and mentally strong to challenge any team in the World Cup.
“This is a new beginning for China, and we hope the performance of our players will inspire others to take up hockey,” added
Sang-ryul, who is hoping for a topthree finish in the group.
China’s next two matches are against Ireland (on Tuesday) and reigning world champions Australia (Friday).