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CHENGDU, China, June 16 (Xinhua) - Croatia U-19 team defeated China 3-0 in Panda Cup youth tournament, a sign that it recovered strength after two days' adjustment.
Earlier on Wednesday, Croatia were crushed by Japan 5-0, and head coach cited difficulty to adapt to local weather and the ground as reasons behind this humiliated defeat.
The battle against the Chinese, however, showed that Croatia are now ready. Merely 12 minutes passed before striker Josip Spoljaric scored the first goal by receiving a pass from the right. China barely made any effective assaults in the first half.
Less than 5 minutes after the interval, the wandering Chinese suffered another blow, when the same Croatian striker passed defenders and gave a forceful and deadly kick. Spoljaric completed his hat trick by scoring another in the injury time.
China had a draw and a loss before facing Japan on Sunday. Enditem
