 |
|
Chinese players greet the audience
after beating Denmark 3-2 in a Group D match at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup
in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Sept. 12, 2007.
(Xinhua/Guo Yong)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
WUHAN, China, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Substitute Song
Xiaoli fired an incredible long shot home in the 88th minute to earn host
China a crucial three points in the FIFA Women's World Cup Group D opener against
Denmark here on Wednesday.
China head coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors said, "We did
a very good job in the midfield defense and our quick-pace attacks worked well
today.
"And the whole team was in top form and high morale.
We deserve the win," said Domanski-Lyfors, who led Sweden to the 2003 World Cup
runners-up.
China enjoyed a 2-0 lead, but was tied 2-2 in
the last minutes, finally edged Denmark 3-2 to follow Brazil, who trounced
New Zealand 5-0 earlier today, in the Group D standings.
Denmark's coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller had said on
Tuesday that the winner of this match would be one leg into the knockout stage.
However, the luck was not on his side tonight.
The upset Heiner-Moller said after the match that he
thought his team played well but unfortunately they lost.
"I think a tie may be the most reasonable result," he said.
His remarks were supported by only one item in the statistics. The Danes
got 55 percent against 45 percent for China in ball possession.
China boasts head-to-head results of seven wins, three ties
and one loss against Denmark in world arena before tonight's clash, including
a 2-2 draw in 1991 World Cup in China and 3-1 win in the 1995 edition in
Sweden.
In tonight's breath-taking duel, the stalwart
Chinese girls launched waves of attacks from the very beginning, making four
shots (three on targets) and four corner kicks against Denmark's 1-1 record in
the first 10 minutes.
When the match returned tied, Chinese midfielder
Bi Yan earned a free kick through her swift dribbling in the arc.
Defender Li Jie looped a wonderful curling shot which found the top right corner
of the net.
Li Jie said after the match, "We have practised on
spot kicks for quite some time. We focus on it recently. And when Bi Yan created
that free kick, I recalled how I scored on such spot in the training."
Trailing 1-0, the Danes, who boast the advantage in
stamina and physiques, played more fiercely and the pace of the match turned
from quicker to the quickest.
A powerful long shot near the arc by Bi Yan lifted China
to 2-0 lead in the 50th minute. The ball hit a defender's leg and deflected
into the Danes' net.
However, the Danes cut the deficit to one goal only
after one minute when striker Anne Dot Eggers Nielsen headed a left-wing cross
into the Chinese goal.
In the remaining 40 minutes, both sides continued
their tit-for-tat confrontation. China missed two great chances to widen the
gap, one on Ma Xiaoxu's solo run from the left wing and the other on Bi Yan's
long shot at the same spot where she scored.
Ma Xiaoxu, China's new No. 10, shone last year with
Golden Balland Golden Shoe at FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup and the AFC Women's
Player of the Year award.
Despite no scoring, Ma was defined as the Player of
the Match through her quick-pace dribbling and never-say-die spirit on the
pitch.
The Danes also squandered several scoring chances,
but they cashed one in the 87th minute when midfielder Cathrine Paaske Sorensen
jumped high to head a right-wing cross home.
Li Jie said, "When the scoreboard turned to 2-2,
every Chinese player did not give up."
"We had promised our fans to never give up at any
moment. We would fight to the last second and we did it tonight," she noted.
As most of the fans thought of a regrettable tie,
midfielder Song Xiaoli, who replaced exhausted Qu Feifei in the 58th minute,
rewrote the scoreboard in just one minute to seal the win for China, who set a
target of entering the top four of the tournament on home soil.
[1] [2] [3] [4]
