英语新闻丨中国曲棍球击败比利时，进入奥运决赛

Underrated and overlooked, the Chinese women's field hockey team has made its presence felt big-time at the pinnacle of the sport by upsetting European power Belgium in a dramatic semifinal to advance into its first Olympic final in 16 years.

被低估和忽视的中国女子曲棍球队在运动的巅峰时刻大放异彩，以戏剧性的方式在半决赛中击败欧洲强敌比利时，时隔16年首次进入奥运会决赛。

Entering Wednesday's semis against the world No 3 team, the Chinese squad put up a gutsy fight as resiliently as it has been fighting at these Games, starting strong with a second-quarter goal from Zou Meirong and staying composed after an equalizer scored in the dying minutes by Belgium's Emma Puvrez tied the match 1-1 at the end of regulation.

在该日对阵世界排名第三的球队的半决赛中，中国队展现了顽强的斗志，一如她们在本届奥运会上一直所展现的那样。比赛开始时，邹美蓉在第二节打进一球，强势开场；而当比利时选手艾玛·普弗雷斯在比赛的最后时刻扳平比分时，中国队保持了冷静，最终将比赛以1比1的比分带入了加时赛。

After conceding two goals first in the nerve-wracking shootout, Team China kept its cool to score three back in a row. Goalkeeper Ye Jiao then rose to the high-stakes occasion, denying the Belgians' next three attempts with marvelous saves to secure Team China a final berth for the first time at an overseas Olympic Games.

在紧张刺激的点球大赛中，中国队在先失两球的不利状态下保持了冷静，连续打进三球。随后，门将叶娇在关键时刻挺身而出，以精彩的扑救连续挡下了比利时队的三次射门，为中国队首次在海外奥运会上赢得了决赛资格。

The last time China reached an Olympic final was at Beijing 2008 on home soil.

中国上一次进入奥运会决赛是在2008年北京奥运会主场。

As the lowest-ranked team in the semis at world No 6, Team China will continue fighting for a triumphant sequel to its David-vs-Goliath heroics when it challenges world No 1 the Netherlands in the Friday final at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in western Paris suburbs.

作为世界第6，半决赛中排名最低的队伍，中国队将于8月9日，在巴黎西郊的伊夫·杜·马努瓦尔体育场挑战世界第1的荷兰队，续写以弱胜强的英雄壮举。

Team China's head coach Alyson Annan, an Australian legend in the sport, said her girls will approach the final totally pressure-free.

中国队的主教练是澳大利亚曲棍球届的传奇人物艾利森·安南，她说她的姑娘们将毫无压力的打入半决赛。

"(We have) everything to win and nothing to lose," Annan, a two-time Olympic champion as a player, said after Team China's thrilling shootout win against Belgium on Wednesday.

8月7日中国队以激动人心的点球大战战胜比利时后，作为两届奥运冠军的艾利森·安南说：“（我们有）一切可赢，却无所可失”。

"We talked about this all the time since I started. We want to win a medal. We want to be on the podium in Paris. I almost say that at every single training. This is why we do this and we have to do this," Annan said of the confidence and mental strength she's installed within the team since she took over the Chinese program in 2022.

安南表示，自2022年担任中国曲棍球队教练以来，她便不断提振队伍的信心和锻炼其赢取金牌的实力。她说：“从我接手训练起我们就一直谈论这个问题，我们想赢得金牌，想登上巴黎的领奖台，每次训练我几乎都会说一遍。”

After all the country's other collective ball-sport teams crashed out of the Paris Games, the Chinese women's hockey squad has provided the whole delegation with a morale boost by securing at least a silver medal in Paris.

即使中国的其它集体球类运动队伍全部退出巴黎奥运会，中国女子曲棍球队也至少能在巴黎赢得一枚银牌，这为整个代表团鼓舞了士气。

"Hopefully what we did here could bring more attention to the sport in China, inspiring more girls to pick up a hockey stick and give it a try. This means everything for the sport's profile and for everyone on the team," Chinese captain Ou Zixia said after the win.

比赛胜利后，中国女子曲棍球队队长欧紫霞说：“希望我们的努力能吸引更多的中国人关注这项运动，能激励更多的女孩拿起球杆，勇敢尝试，这就是运动本身和队内每个人努力的全部意义”。

 Edge

v.以微弱优势获胜

Shootout 

n.（足球等运动的）点球大战，罚点球决胜负

Equalizer

n.体育比赛中追平比分的得分