Misfiring China held in Portugal stalemate

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China might have considered this a rather forgettable occasion. It was, after all, a goalless scrap in a city in southwest China, a dreary affair marked by few clear-cut chances. Yet head coach Jia Xiuquan, pacing the sideline, may actually end up pinpointing this stalemate as the moment his team's rock solid defense was reaffirmed.

The most encouraging part for China's 0-0 draw with Portugal on the opening day of the international women's football tournament in Yongchuan, Chongqing Municipality on Thursday is that they have kept sixth clean sheet in their last seven outings, with the Steel Roses having conceded just four times in the nine matches since Jia took charge in May.

With goalkeeper Bi Xiaolin in imperious form, China proved a tough nut to crack, but this was a difficult and exasperating evening for Jia's team and their wastefulness in front of goal will only add to the theory that they are over-reliant on Paris Saint-Germain star Wang Shuang to be authentic title challengers.

Li Ying (10) struggles to make opportunities count on the opening day of the Yongchuan International Tournament on October 4. /VCG Photo

Jia was unwilling to use that as an excuse but he'll have noted too China's other attacking talents struggled to shine in Wang Shuang's absence.

Portugal must have had an inkling their luck was in when Gu Yasha passed up a glorious chance early in the game. Collecting a perfectly timed pass from Wang Shanshan, Gu hit the post even though she had an open goal ahead of her.

Li Ying also had little joy against the visitor's center-halves and Portugal defended with great togetherness once they had recovered from an opening 20-minute blitz. Yang Lina came closest to breaking the deadlock when shooting narrowly wide from a Wang Shanhan lay-off, though Li Ying might have scored had she not been too hesitant on the edge of the area.

After watching 45 minutes of China struggling to break down Portugal, Jia sent on Long Chen and Jin Kun, who celebrated her 19th birthday on the night, to try to inject more urgency.

However, the night did not go the way for those in red, though at least they were spared the sucker punch of allowing Portugal to steal a last-gasp winner when Bi Xiaolin's denied a brilliant effort from the visitor four minutes from time.

Having weathered some late jitters, Jia should consider this a point well earned.