Elkeson had an international debut to remember as he netted twice in China's 5-0 rout of Maldives in the second round of qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. /VCG Photo
Brazil-born striker Elkeson struck twice on his debut to give China a crushing 5-0 win over Maldives in a World Cup qualifier in Male on Tuesday.
Chinese football authorities included the 30-year-old in the national side last month in a bid to improve their chances of qualifying for the 2022 tournament in Qatar and Elkeson lived up to expectations by netting two penalties late in the Group A match at the Rasmee Dhandu Stadium.
"In the past few days, we have been training according to the requirements of the head coach. Therefore, we can play the good tactics in the game and finish the game well," Elkeson said.
Elkeson, who made his debut in the Chinese national team, made history to become the first footballer who scored in the national team without Chinese ancestry.
"Today we won the game beautifully, then we will try our best to prepare for the next game," added Elkeson.
China dominated the game and were 2-0 up at half-time with Wu Xi and Wu Lei finding the net in the 34th and 45th minute, respectively.
They then won three straight penalties, with Yang Xu first scoring from the spot in the 65th minute before Elkeson made his mark with seven minutes remaining and claimed his double in stoppage time to complete the rout.
Naturalized players Li Ke (L) and Elkeson (R) are named in coach Marcello Lippi's squad for 2022 World Cup qualifiers. /VCG Photo
"I am very satisfied with the result, taking all three points is just the first step of our campaign for the tournament," said China head coach Marcello Lippi, who already set his eyes on winning China's next match.
"It is the beginning of the group matches, no matter how many goals we made, we still need to concentrate on our goals that is to enter into the top 12 teams in Asia," added Lippi.
Also in Group A are Syria, Guam and the Philippines. China will take on Guam and Syria will face Maldives on October 10.
The World Cup Asian qualifiers will also serve as the qualifiers for AFC Asian Cup 2023 to be held in China. A total of 40 teams will play across eight groups in the second round Asian qualifiers.
The group winners and four best runners-up, making up a total of 12 teams, will advance to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 finals and the final round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
(With input from Xinhua, AFP)