China women's hockey team take back-to-back victories in Pro League

LONDON -- China's national women's hockey team defeated England 3-1 here on Sunday, beating the world number four team for the second time in as many days.

On Saturday, China fought hard to the last second to draw 1-1 with England in normal time, then edged the hosts 4-3 in the shootout, claiming their first two points from this season's FIH Pro League.

China showed stronger confidence on Sunday, putting on a comeback after conceding a goal to seal the win 3-1 and collect three points.

Led by newly-appointed head coach Alyson Annan, China will play against Pro League opponents Spain, Belgium, the United States, the Netherlands and Germany in the coming weeks before competing in the World Cup in July.

Annan had led the Netherlands to a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016 and a gold at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

The 48-year-old Australian said that China was a team with a lot of potential. "I have coached [the Netherlands] for the last five years to the best. And now I'm coaching [China] who could be the best and that's a great challenge," said Annan.