Chinese women shock fancied Dutch in hockey

Sydney: The Chinese women's hockey team, playing their first match in Olympic competition, beat world power the Netherlands 2-1 on Sunday in a major upset.

The Dutch women finished third in Atlanta and won this year's Champions Trophy tournament. China in contrast have just 200 hockey players, some of whom only joined the squad after missing selection for the national soccer team.

For China, drawing the Netherlands in their debut Olympic match was akin to a third division English soccer club drawing Manchester United in the opening round of the FA Cup, but they refused to be overawed.

Goals from Yang Huiping in the 16th and 39th minutes were enough to secure China a monumental upset, and three vital points in Pool B of the women's competition.

Yang proved a constant menace to the Dutch defence, taking six of China's 11 shots on goal. At the defensive end, Yang Hongbing and Lijie Liu played key roles in keeping out the potent Dutch attack until the final 90 seconds, when Margje Teeuwen got a consolation goal.

Although Dutch coach Tom Van't Hek insisted his side had not taken China lightly, he was visibly upset by the defeat.

"We started this tournament as one of the big teams, and to lose to the side that qualified No.10 is hard to believe," Van't Hek said. "We won't be around very long in this Olympic tournament unless we can raise ourselves to another level."



(c) Reuters Limited.