Olympics: China dump Germany to make their first hockey final

Thursday, 21 August 2008

BEIJING - Hosts China entered their first ever Olympic women's hockey final with a thrilling 3-2 win over reigning champions Germany here on Wednesday.

Zhao Yudiao scored the winner 10 minutes before the end of a gripping semi-final where the home team delighted a boisterous crowd of 10,000 by twice fighting back from a losing position.

China await the winner of Wednesday's second semi-final between the Netherlands and Argentina in the title clash scheduled for Friday.

The Asian Games champions avenged the semi-final defeat at the hands of the Germans at the Athens Olympics four years ago when they lost 4-3 in the tie-breaker after a goalless draw.

"Good, very good, we deserved to be in the final," China's delighted South Korean coach Kim Chang-back told AFP.

"It was a dream of the girls to win an Olympic medal for the first time and now they have.

"It does not matter who joins us in the final. We are ready for anyone."

The match fluctuated wildly as both sides went on the attack from the start.

Veteran Natascha Keller gave Germany the lead in the fourth minute when she beat the Chinese goalkeeper with her second attempt from the top of the circle.

Chinese captain Ma Yibo was warned with a green card as the home team protested the goal, saying the whistle should have been blown after Keller's first missed attempt.

China, however, drew level three minutes before the break when Gao Lihua latched on to a pass from the right and scooped the ball past German goalkeeper Kristina Reynolds.

The Germans went ahead a second time soon after resumption through Janine Beermann, but the lead lasted barely two minutes.

China, who had wasted all their 20 previous penalty corners in the competition, finally found success with a set-piece goal in the 40th minute as skipper Ma flicked in a powerful hit.

Zhao sealed her side's win by hitting in a pass from the right flank after Fu Baorong broke through the German defence.