The Indian women’s hockey team faced a setback in their 2025 Women’s Asia Cup campaign, losing 1-4 to hosts China in their second Super4s Pool match in Hangzhou on Thursday. The defeat has complicated India’s path to the final, with China securing their spot while India, Korea, and Japan compete for the remaining position in the championship match that offers both the Asia Cup trophy and qualification for the 2026 Hockey World Cup.Mumtaz Khan scored India’s lone goal in the 38th minute, while China’s victory came through goals from Zou Meirong (4th and 56th minutes), Chen Yang (31st minute), and Tan Jinzhuang (47th minute). China’s dominant performance has maintained their strong defensive record, having conceded only one goal throughout the tournament.The current Super 4s standings show China leading with six points from two matches, securing their place in Sunday’s final. India hold second position with three points, while Japan and Korea each have one point following their 1-1 draw on Thursday.The final round of Super 4s matches is scheduled for Saturday, with India facing Japan at 2:15 pm IST, followed by China versus Korea at 4:30 pm IST. The outcomes of these matches will determine the second finalist, while the third and fourth-placed teams will compete for the bronze medal.How India can qualify for the Women’s Asia Cup final?India’s path to the final requires a victory against Japan in their upcoming match. The teams previously met in Pool B, where they played to a 2-2 draw, with India getting the equaliser in the final moments of the game.If India draw against Japan, they would reach four points with a goal difference of -1. In this scenario, Korea would need to defeat China by a two-goal margin to overcome India’s position, given their current goal difference of -2.A loss against Japan would eliminate India from final contention, as Japan would move to four points while India would remain at three. In that scenario, it will come down to Korea and Japan, and Korea’s equation would be to better Japan’s scoreline against India.
