Abhijay Raj Vaish, Pune
India was hammered 5-1 by host China in the opening match of the Asian Games 2023 on Tuesday. India fought tooth and nail in the first half of the 19th Asian games held at Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou after being handed a major defeat in the second half.
China took the lead in the first half from a corner when a header by Weijun found Gao Tianyi, who scored a volley to open China’s scoring. India responded in injury time when a lofted ball from Abdul Anjukandan on the right side allowed Rahul KP to equalize right before halftime providing India some solace for a well fought half. India scored a goal at the Asian games after a long wait of nine years.
However, this joy was short-lived as China came all guns blazing in the second half regaining the lead after merely six minutes. This became the turning point in the match where China sat in the driver’s seat and toyed with India’s fatigued defense running the show throughout.
India arrived in China on Monday night and had no time to practice before the clash which reflected in the players performance in the second half. The lack of players also added to its vulnerability due to visa issues along with a few ISL teams reluctant to release players before the season which begins on September 21. All these reasons contributed to the Indian player’s vows deeming them incapable of stopping the Chinese attackers.
India, who are placed in Group A alongside China, Myanmar and Bangladesh have still got a chance to make it to the knockouts if they defeat the other two nations. India have now defeated Bangladesh 1-0 owing to Sunil Chhetri’s penalty in the 84th minute of the match and are now to take on Myanmar for the final group match on Sunday to cement their place in the knockouts. Myanmar have defeated Bangladesh in their previous fixture making this a must-win match for both the teams.