The Chinese Women's Hockey team today solidified its position as a gold medal contender with a 3-2 victory over world number one ranked Argentina, in a Pool A match at the Olympic Hockey Complex.
Both teams came into today's encounter having won all their pool matches, with Argentina in the first spot based on goals. Finishing in first ensures that China will face the Pool B second ranked team in the semifinals.
China opened the scoring in the ninth minute on a penalty corner goal from Ma Yibo who beat the goalkeeper, Mariela Antoniska, with a straight strike.
Fu Baorong added China's second goal in the 16th minute from a beautifully executed counterattack. Fu received a pass from Tang Chunling from the right side of the "D" and dropped it in the net from directly in front of the goal.
Argentina scored in the 17th minute on a field goal by Luciana Paula Aymar. Aymar had an easy shot into an empty goal when Nie Yali came out of the net to defend an attack from the right by Alejandra Laura Gulla. Gulla dumped the ball off to Aymar for the score.
Aymar added Argentina's second goal of the match in the 34th minute, this time from a variation to the left on a penalty corner set, bringing the score to 2-2.
China started the second half of the match short handed, thanks to a yellow card shown to Mai Shaoyan with one minute, 41 seconds left to play in the first half. Mai sat out for eight minutes and was on the sidelines when Argentina equalized, 2-2.
China would eventually break the deadlock in the 47th minute when Tang Chunling followed up a rebounded penalty corner shot and poked it in from the left side of the goal, bringing the tally to 3-2.
Both teams will be in action in the semifinals on Tuesday, 24 August. Argentina will face the Netherlands, who finished first in Pool B, at 18:00.
China will play at 20:30, but their opponent is yet to be determined. It depends on the outcome of the final match in preliminary play between Australia and the Netherlands, tonight at 20:00.
(Athens 2004, August 23, 2004)
