China v India soccer clash headlines first day of Asian Games action
Last updated on: 19 September,2023 06:51 pm
China have won silver and two bronze in men's soccer at the Games
(Reuters) - The Asian Games in Hangzhou started on Tuesday with all eyes on hosts China playing India in the men's soccer competition, with each team representing a nation of over a billion people.
China have won silver and two bronze in men's soccer at the Games but never gold, while India won gold in 1951 and 1962.
"The first game is coming soon, and the whole team is looking forward to it," China coach Dejan Djurdjevic said before the 1130 GMT kick off.
"The first game of the competition is very important. The team needs to adjust as soon as possible and enter the game state as soon as possible."
While the opening ceremony does not take place until Saturday, several sports began on Tuesday, including soccer, volleyball, beach volleyball and cricket.
The first event of the day was a clash between Indonesia and Mongolia in the women's T20 cricket competition, which Indonesia won by 172 runs after bowling out Mongolia for just 15 runs.
The Asian Games, which was postponed by a year due to COVID-19, takes place from Sept. 23-Oct. 8.