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India suffered a heavy defeat in their opening game of the Asian Games 2023, with China defeating them convincingly with a scoreline of 5-1 at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou.
The hosts started on the front foot, often exploiting India’s wide areas, where there were notably no conventional full-backs in the starting lineup. Tan Long had the first significant opportunity, exposing India's defensive vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, his lackluster header was crucially parried away by Gurmeet Singh as early as the seventh minute.
The Blue Tigers certainly relied heavily on Sunil Chhetri’s magic and he nearly conjured up a moment of brilliance. The Indian skipper intercepted the ball in midfield and unleashed a powerful shot, but his attempt narrowly missed the top corner of the goal.
Nevertheless, China exerted their dominance, and despite Gurmeet Singh's efforts to keep India in contention, they conceded a goal in the 17th minute. Tianyi Gao found the back of the net, registering the competition's first goal, as India struggled to clear their lines following a set-piece situation.
India struggled to control the proceedings and conceded a penalty after they gave the ball away cheaply in midfield. However, Gurmeet Singh, who conceded the penalty, once again stepped up and denied Chenjie Zhu’s spot-kick to keep his side in the game.
Igor Stimac’s men certainly began growing into the game and were rewarded for their efforts at the stroke of half-time. Abdul Rabeeh’s lobbed pass found Rahul KP on the flanks, whose remarkable strike beat the goalkeeper from an improbable angle to level the proceedings.
China score four goals in the second half as India display signs of fatigue
China bounced back after a poor end to the first half and found the net early yet again in the second period. Dei Weijun received the ball in acres of space before unleashing a powerful effort that beat Gurmeet Singh and nestled into the lower corner of the goal.
Despite the setback, India continued to play some eye-catching football but largely struggled to construct passes in the final third.
Consequently, China capitalized on India's poor fitness levels and mounting fatigue to notch their third goal of the game. Tao Quianglong netted his second goal against India in the span of just 10 days, calmly slotting in a rebound that effectively sealed the result.
India's defense were disorganized, and China, benefitting from the presence of fresh legs on the field, swiftly followed up with their fourth goal. Tao once again posed problems as he was in the right place at the right time to score his second goal of the game.
The hosts reserved one final goal for the closing moments, with Fang beating Gurmeet to net China's fifth of the night and seal a commanding triumph.
The game eventually ended 5-1 in China’s favor. But Igor Stimac will be pleased with the effort given the circumstances and will hope that his team can secure three points against Bangladesh and Myanmar to book their place in the knockout rounds.
