Hockey World Cup 2018, Ireland vs China: 3 Standout Players from the match

After pulling off a shock 2-2 draw against England in their opening match, China continued their astonishing campaign in the 2018 Hockey World Cup with a pulsating 1-1 draw against Ireland on Tuesday.

Despite their myriad attempts inside the circle, Ireland's strikers were made to work remarkably hard by the determined Chinese defence. At the half-time mark, the scoreline remained goalless.

An astute penalty-corner variation enabled China to pull ahead in the 43rd minute. Guo Jin's goal was soon levelled by a spectacular strike from Alan Sothern.

Eventually, Ireland had to be content with a shared encounter.

Here are three standout players from the enthralling 1-1 draw between Ireland and China.

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#1 Alan Sothern (Ireland)

Alan Sothern scored the equaliser for Ireland

It was a rather frustrating game for Ireland early on as their strikers failed to grab numerous opportunities to put the ball into the back of the net.

In the 13th minute, Alan Sothern missed a golden chance by tipping his reverse flick over the crossbar. Eleven minutes later, a tight deflection of his went into the side-netting.

However, Sothern made it count in the third quarter. With China taking a surprise 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute, the pressure was on Ireland for the first time in the game. Their talisman striker rose to the challenge and fired in a stunning equaliser.

Just a minute left before the end of the third quarter, Michael Robson unleashed a fast and furious ball into the circle.

Crouching low on the turf, Sothern leapt in the air and angled his stick in such a way that the deflection screamed into the goal. For delivering what is arguably the goal of the tournament thus far, he was named Player of the Match.

#2 Wang Caiyu (China)

China's second successive draw was made possible by goal-keeper Wang Caiyu

China's unexpectedly resilient performance in the 2018 World Cup stems from the adroitness of their inspirational goal-keeper.

In the two matches thus far, Wang Caiyu has been a major revelation under the bar. His stunning reflexes thwarted the Irish attackers for the vast majority of the match.

The Chinese defenders worked well in unison and rose to the relentless challenge posed by Ireland.

Whenever the Green Machine managed to breach the back line, Wang Caiyu came to China's rescue. In the first two quarters, Ireland had five shots on target. Yet, they could not find a way past him.

Caiyu stopped a dangerous strike from Shane O'Donoghue by getting low in the 19th minute. Later in the game, he did not shy away from advancing towards the Irish attackers whenever the Chinese defence was placed under pressure.

The goalkeeper's proficiency was on display when he stopped two pin-point penalty corners through nimble foot-work and agile reflexes.

#1 Guo Jin (China)

Guo Jin complemented his tireless defensive work with a decisive drag-flick goal

Guo Jin's deft marking helped in closing out spaces during the first couple of quarters. The fact that Ireland made 16 circle penetrations and still had only five shots on target during the first half was due to the defender's precise positioning.

Towards the end of the second quarter, Guo Jin even pushed himself forward in order to pierce the Irish midfield. However, he could not find much assistance from his teammates in the opposition half.

Guo's moment of reckoning came in the 43rd minute. Having earned a penalty corner, China tried a surprise variation to exploit the Irish chargers.

Instead of taking the shot himself, Du Talake flicked the ball to Guo who in turn found the back of the net. The drag-flick helped the underdogs score a goal which could be extremely important in the context of Pool B.

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