China lose to England 2-1 in U21s: Toulon Tournament

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The under-21s Toulon Tournament 2018 saw defending champions England beat the Chinese men's soccer team on Saturday despite China leading in the first half of the opening match.

England almost took the lead three minutes into the match, when a header found its way into the Chinese goal. But the referee ruled it offside.

Soon after the English team were nearly always in the attack position, but it was the Chinese who claimed the first goal in the 20th minute, when Yan Dinghao, a Porto B midfielder, scored with a stunning header and handed China the lead.

England later landed another ball into the Chinese goal, but was again ruled offside. Despite constantly on the defensive stance, the Chinese team maintained their 1-0 lead till halftime.

File Photo /VCG Photo

The second half of the game was completely dominated by England, as Dael Fry found an equalizer around the 57th minute.

Things got worse for China when the team were reduced to ten, after captain Sun Weizhe was shown a straight red card.

Before the final whistle, England converted their numerical advantage into an easy goal, nailing the match 2-1.

Chinese head coach Sun Jihai admitted that the English team is stronger, and the Chinese team aim to accumulate experience and improve themselves through the matches, noting that the team members haven't had much time training together.

The 2018 Toulon Tournament, the 46th edition of its kind, is held in the region of Provence, southern France, from 26 May to 9 June.

Twelve teams were drawn into three groups of four. The group winners and the best second-placed teams will qualify for the semifinals.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency