China displayed patches of classical Asian hockey to run South Afrus home crowd in women's Olympic hockey on Tuesday. Combining fluid long passes with crafty stickwork and energetic set play, the hosts won 3-0 in pool A to stay on course for a semi-final berth.
China, who finished fifth in the Athens Games, drew first blood in the sixth minute when Tang Chunling scored off a free hit, igniting celebrations among the partisan crowd. Argentina's path to the semi-finals from pool B appears shaky after the favourites were held to a draw by Britain while Australia stayed in contention with a 6-1 win over Spain. The Netherlands meet South Korea and defending champions Germany take on New Zealand in other second round matches later on Tuesday.