India finished as runners-up in the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2025 after a 1–4 loss to hosts China in the final at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium. Navneet Kaur opened the scoring for India, but goals from Ou Zixia, Li Hong, Meirong Zou, and Jiaqi Zhong kept India from securing the coveted Asia Cup title.
Despite India’s early goal, China relied on long-game tactics to secure a crucial victory in the final. This victory marked a huge stepping stone for China as it also granted them a direct entry in the FIH Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in August next year.
Key moments from the first half
India made a strong start in the final by striking an impressive goal in the very first minute through a penalty corner. The corner was converted by veteran forward Navneet Kaur, whose beautiful stroke plunged the ball to the back of the net.
Following the goal, China increased its tempo and started creating some threatening counterattacks. China attacked with intent for the remainder of the first quarter but failed to score a goal.
The trend followed in the second quarter, until China won a penalty corner in the 21st minute, which led the hosts to score their first goal of the night. Chinese skipper Ou Zixia successfully converted the corner to score the screaming equaliser. Both teams headed into the break with scores tied and all to play for in the second half.
China flips the game in the second half
Despite starting the third quarter strongly, India failed to exhibit the same swift attacking play as they did in the first half of the game. China, on the other hand, continued to launch persistent counterattacks to drum up trouble for India, adding three more goals through Li Hong, Zhu Meirong, and Fen Yujia to seal a comprehensive victory.
While this silver medal marks a commendable achievement on the continental stage, it also highlights the gap India must bridge to reclaim Asia’s top spot. China’s tactical discipline, clinical finishing, and experience proved decisive in the title clash.