FIH Pro League: Indian Women Slump To Relegation Depths Following China Defeat
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Chen Yang, Zhang Ying and Anhul Yu netted a goal each to help China to a 3-0 win over India in Berlin.
The Indian women's hockey team were relegated from the FIH Pro League as they continued their dismal showing in the European leg of the on Saturday as they succumbed to China for their seventh straight defeat.
Chen Yang, Zhang Ying and Anhul Yu netted a goal each to help China to a 3-0 win over India in Berlin. As a result, India relegated to the second tier FIH Nations Cup in the 2025-26 season.
India were condemnded to the bottom of the nine-team standings with 10 points from 15 games in the aftermath of the defeat. England, who are set to play Germany in back-to-back matches on Saturday and Sunday, are just above India with 11 points from 14 games.
If England wins against Germany on Saturday, India will remain at the bottom and will be relegated from the FIH Pro League to the FIH Nations Cup. However, if Germany wins, India will need to defeat China on Sunday to retain their spot in the Pro League.
For China, Chen Yang scored from a penalty corner in the 21st minute, followed by Zhang Ying in the 26th minute, and Anhul Yu added a field goal in the 45th minute.
India started brightly, creating good circle penetrations in the first quarter. Baljeet Kaur had the first real chance in the third minute, but her shot went wide. A minute later, India secured two consecutive penalty corners, but Deepika failed to convert on both occasions.
Seconds before the end of the first quarter, China secured their second penalty corner but failed to capitalise. A minute into the second quarter, China earned two more consecutive penalty corners but couldn't convert.
China dominated the second quarter, and in the 21st minute, Chen Yang scored from a set piece. They continued pressuring the Indian defence and, in the 26th minute, Zhang Ying scored from their fifth penalty corner, giving China a 2-0 lead at halftime.
India created a few chances but lacked the finishing touch. They dominated the third quarter with persistent attacks but couldn't break the solid Chinese defence. China capitalised on India's lacklustre defence, tripling their lead in the 45th minute with a field goal by Anhul Yu.
India continued to pressure the Chinese defence and earned a penalty stroke in the 55th minute, but Deepika missed the chance. The missed penalty stroke summed up India's day as China emerged victorious.
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