Chinese women's football team edges Russia, looks to Asian Cup

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Chinese women's football team claimed a hard-won victory on Wednesday, defeating Russia 2-1 in their last match of the 25th Algarve Cup.

The win put an end to the losing streak of China, which along with Russia had lost three matches prior to the game that decided the 11th place of the annual invitational tournament.

China started sluggish, as admitted by its head coach Sigurdur Ragnar Eyjolfsson in an after-game interview, and conceded a goal from an apparent mistake by goalkeeper Lu Feifei towards the end of the first half.

The Chinese team created a number of opportunities but did not score against goalkeeper Elvira Todua, who made some amazing saves.

/Xinhua Photo

Eyjolfsson said he was unhappy during the break, but the Chinese ladies in the second half "did better, and the substitutes also played well when they got on, brought energy to the team."

A high-quality free kick near the box by Liu Shanshan in the 49th minute went straight to the Russian goal's corner and energized the Steel Roses.

The Chinese team scored another goal with a powerful shot from Song Duan in the 78th minute.

The win is valuable for the Chinese team which has been under pressure for poor performances at the Algarve Cup.

"One takeaway from the Algarve Cup is that, absent hard work and fighting spirit, the Chinese team can struggle against opponents which are not so strong; when the team plays well, it can take on stronger teams like world's No.4 Australia," Eyjolfsson said.

/Photo courtesy of Beijing Evening News

During the tournament, Xinhua reporters encountered scouts from French club Paris Saint-Germain who expressed interest in Chinese players, particularly Wang Shuang and Li Ying, and sought the possibility for them to play in professional leagues outside China.

With next month's Asian Cup looming ahead, Eyjolfsson said he already got the majority of the squad for Asian Cup in his mind, adding that "maybe there will be a couple of new faces."

Wang Shanshan, the Chinese captain, was cautious and modest when asked about the team's prospect in Asian Cup, which also doubles as the World Cup qualification.

"It seemed that our opponents were not very strong in the Asian Cup, but every team is uneasy to defeat," Wang said, "We must learn from our lessons. We mustn't repeat the mistakes that we repeatedly made here in the Algarve Cup."

China will meet Jordan, Thailand and the Philippines in the group stage of the Asian Cup.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency