China beaten by France in final Women's World Cup warm-up

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China's head coach Jia Xiuquan has said he believes in every member of his 23-player squad and the team aim to win the World Cup despite being "far apart" from the world elite of women's football.

"I want them first to dream big and then go all out to achieve the highest goal possible," he said.

As the team have arrived in France for a week, China opened their training camp and played a warm-up game against France in Creteil in the Paris suburbs. Friday's game against the host was their final hurdle before going out to the tournament, but China were beaten 2-1 by the host.

French captain Amandine Henry, striker Eugenie Le Sommer and a third Lyon star Amel Majri were out of the game while they took the lead when striker Valerie Gauvin found herself in the right place after a shot from Marion Torrent was blocked in the 29th minute.

Wang Shuang (L) of China vies with Marion Torrent of France during a friendly soccer match between France and China in Creteil, France, May 31, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

China fought back in the second half when Wang Shanshan leveled a goal set up by Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Wang Shuang in the 51st minute but were then hit back by Kadidiatou Diani, Wang Shuang's PSG teammate, with an unstoppable shot six minutes later.

China were just one step away from their first Asian title since 2007 in the last year's Jakarta Asian Games. Goalscorer Wang Shangshan, who was the Asian Games' top scorer with 12 goals, is another key goal scorer in Coach Jia Xiuquan's squad.

Captained by the 26-year-old Wu Haiyan, the young generations carry great hope in making a return to the top teams in women's football. The "Steel Rose" are attempting to restore the team to their former glory when they finished runners-up in the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1999 World Cup. Also, the success of their leading star Wang Shuang in Paris has boosted support from local fans.

Women's World Cup will kick off next Friday as China are ready for their opening game against Germany in Rennes on June 8.