China upset Germany to make final

Hosts China upset defending champions Germany 3-2 in Wednesday's semi-final to reach their first ever Olympic hockey final.

The Chinese twice came from behind to secure their place in Friday's final, where they will meet the Netherlands.

The Dutch overwhelmed Argentina 5-2 in the day's other semi-final to confirm their status as tournament favourites.

They were led to victory by Maartje Paumen, who netted a hat-trick against an outclassed Argentina.

"This is not the time to be happy because we still have one match to go. We need to calm down now," Chinese coach Kim Chang Back told reporters after the match.

The Germans, who scored at the start of each half, were the makers of their own downfall as a string of misplaced passes allowed the hosts back into the game.

Zhao Yudiao's 58th-minute strike put China in the lead for the first time during the encounter and they did not look back from there.

They will face a tough task if they want to upset the Netherlands in the final, who are yet to lose a game in Beijing and beat China 1-0 in the group stages.

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