Hockey World Cup 2018: England vs China - 5 talking points

#3 China play the surprise card to perfection

England seemed unprepared to handle the Chinese

Danny Kerry admitted before the match that there was little he knew about the present Chinese unit - a fact that obviously impacted his side's preparation for the opener.

The manner in which Guo Jin scored after the minnows had managed to split open the English defence in the opening minutes was proof enough that Kerry's side had clearly not anticipated the high levels of potency which the Chinese strikers possess.

After the opening goal, the English took a while to recover as they were clearly trying to figure out whether to close the gaps at the back or venture ahead, and the Chinese side grew in confidence with every passing minute.

Siegfried Aikman, coach of the Japanese men's team was at the Kalinga Stadium and pointed out to Sportskeeda after the match, that the Chinese were disciplined and had nothing to lose.

"China played well and was very disciplined. All teams here are in their best shape. China had nothing to lose and England everything."