A double strike from Wang Schuang, the second of which came with virtually the last kick of the game, earned China's "Steel Roses" a flattering 2-0 victory over a Football Ferns side which deserved better reward from a match in which they were more than competitive throughout proceedings. Both teams began solidly, with China appearing to have a slight edge initially. But Tom Sermanni's side matched them stride for stride and looked so composed when doing so, none more so than Claudia Bunge, who produced one of the most mature performances by a debutant this writer has seen in over three decades of covering the women's game. The hosts were presented with the game's first opening in the ninth minute by Ali Riley's stray pass. Yao Lingwei instantly spread play wide to Pang Fengyue on the right, whose cross, intended for Zhang Xin, was grabbed comfortably by Erin Nayler. The Football Ferns' custodian cheaply conceded possession just outside her penalty area seconds later, but the retreating figure of Xin was unable to capitalise, much to the goalkeeper's relief - errors of this nature are very much out of character where Nayler is concerned. It stirred the visitors into life from an attacking perspective, and in the twelfth minute, they went within inches of opening the scoring. Ria Percival's deliciously weighted cross from the right, following a partially cleared corner, picked out the head of Hannah Wilkinson, whose downward header bounced just past the post ten yards away, Chinese goalkeeper Bi Xaolin diving headlong to her right to ensure her line remained unblemished. Seven minutes later, Bi was shoveling the ball to safety, Wilkinson having pounced on a Wang Yan error before setting sail for goal and pulling the trigger - how her country could have done with her in this form at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals earlier this year, a time when she was just returning from a long-term injury so was nowhere near her optimum fitness-wise. China immediately counter-attacked, Ma Jun leading the charge before bringing Zhang into play on the left. Her low cross sought out the fast-arriving figure of Wang, who was dashing in on the far post. Riley was covering her run, and stretched out a leg to divert the ball towards her own net, only for the approaching Nayler's lightning-quick reflexes to spare her captain's blushes and prevent what would almost certainly have ended up being an own goal. In the 22nd minute, Wilkinson got the better of Chinese fullback Zhai Qingwei. Catherine Bott was up in support, and duly lay the ball back into the stride of Percival - she had a monstrous game in midfield. The most capped Kiwi footballer of all time promptly unleashed an angled twenty yard drive which Bi could only parry. Much to the home team's relief, the retreating figure of Li Mengwen reacted swiftly to steer the ball past the post, with China clearing the corner which resulted. That proved to be the last chance of the half, with the only hint of a goal threat in the remaining twenty-three minutes of the half coming when Rebekah Stott played the ball back to Nayler, who cleared her lines as Wang bore down on her at a great rate of knots in the 33rd minute. That one glimpse of an opening apart, a very even affair ensued - you wouldn't have known this was New Zealand's first game since France 2019. Usually they are slow starters on these short tours - it generally takes them a game to get back into the groove, and that was certainly the case with Riley, Rosie White and Katie Bowen, at least in terms of their passing accuracy. Otherwise, they hit the ground running in the first spell, none more so than the fully fit figures of Wilkinson and Bott, while Bunge and Steph Skilton were revelations in central defence, the debutant in particular suggesting that the next time Abby Erceg chooses to retire from the Football Ferns, her absence won't be anywhere near as noticeable. The second half began with the Football Ferns very much on the front foot. Bott sent Wilkinson through the offside trap in the 48th minute, but the eagle-eyed referee's assistant spotted that the striker was just in an offside position when she began her run, something which Wilkinson was increasingly guilty of as the match progressed. Three minutes later, a Bowen cross was blocked, but her second attempt produced an exquisite delivery into the danger zone, so good, in fact, that both White and Betsy Hassett joined Bi in hesitating at the vital moment. Not so Luo Guiping, whose timely intervention prevented the visitors from opening the scoring. After Percival had unleashed a rising drive, China introduced three of their heavy-hitters to the fray, but before they made an impact on proceedings White squandered the chance to upstage them, failing to strike the ball cleanly after being set up by Bowen on the hour.

Two minutes later, and very much against the run of play, China opened the scoring, with two of the newcomers combining with one of their best performers at France 2019 to break the Football Ferns' resistance. Gu Yasha secured possession on the left and whipped in a cross through the corridor of uncertainty with which the incoming figure of fellow substitute Yang Li just failed to make contact. Not so Shuang, who was arriving on the far post in behind the retreating figure of Riley, and rose to send her header bulleting into the top corner of Nayler's net, a goal which the 'keeper was powerless to prevent. Nayler was tested again soon afterwards by another substitute, Li Ying, who pounced on an error by Stott but opted to shoot early, making it easy for the 'keeper to deal with. Something which the Football Ferns collectively struggled to deal with was the "hometown referee" decision-making of referee Luo Nizhi. As the half wore on, and particularly after the opening goal, it became increasingly obvious that a win for the host nation wasn't so much desirable as imperative. Thus any contentious decisions suddenly started going the way of the "Steel Roses" almost without fail - the playing field was no longer level, as far as the Football Ferns were concerned. So they'd have to produce something very special to overcome the odds. Before they had the chance to, they nearly conceded a second. Bott's error was swooped on by Gu, who quickly brought Li and Wang into play. The latter played in Yang, who had just Nayler to beat - easier said than done, as the Football Ferns' most consistent player throughout France 2019 saved this 74th minute opportunity with her legs. Bott bid to make amends immediately, and sent Hassett hurtling through the Chinese defence a minute later. But Luo caught and past her to avert the danger - the need for speed was imperative. Cue the entrance of Sarah Gregorius and Paige Satchell. At the same time, Nicole Stratford was introduced to the fray, minutes after Jana Radosavljevic - debutants both. Soon after their appearance off the bench, Stratford sent Satchell streaking through the inside right channel at breakneck pace, with Gregorius hurtling through the inside left channel in support in the 82nd minute. The winger left the Steel Roses' defenders gasping in her wake as she bore down on Bi's goal. Sizing up the chance, Satchell slipped her shot past the approaching 'keeper, then looked on in despair as it faded agonisingly past the far post, with Gregorius ready to pounce should the ball have struck the upright. China immediately shored up their rearguard with fresh legs following this let-off, but the Football Ferns continued to press. As full-time approached, they were awarded a rare free-kick some thirty yards from goal, but Percival failed to strike the target. A corner was earned soon afterwards, and Percival delivered the ball into the danger zone. China headed it away, Yang picking up the pieces and getting the better of Satchell before sending Wang racing away from inside her own half. Nayler was nearer the centre circle than her penalty arc given the Football Ferns were chasing a last-minute equaliser, so could do little but look on in despair as Wang swiftly sized up the situation and curled the ball round her and into the untended net with virtually the last kick of the game to give China a 2-0 win over opponents whose efforts merited at least a draw, and certainly a goal. The Football Ferns' failure to find the net of their own accord against opponents from outside Oceania is beginning to concern. This was the 22nd such international - Sunday's clash with Canada for third place will be their 23rd - since the 2016 Olympics, and they've only scored in eight of them, nine if you include Cameroon's own goal at France 2019. Solving that conundrum is going to be one of Tom Sermanni's biggest challenges as the Football Ferns head towards Tokyo 2020 and beyond. Just as Claudia Bunge has done in defence on her international debut, it's time for Amber Hearn's successor as our goalscoring goddess to make herself known to the nation. PR China:     Bi Xiaolin; Li Mengwen (Lin Yuping, 83), Luo Guiping, Wang Yan (Wu Haiyan, 83), Zhai Qingwei; Wang Shuang, Ma Jun, Yao Lingwei (Zhang Rui, 69), Pang Fengyue (Yang Li, 57); Tang Jiali (Gu Yasha, 57), Zhang Xin (Li Ying, 57) F'ball Ferns:     Nayler; Bunge, Stott, Skilton; Bott (Stratford, 78), Percival (booked, 81), Bowen (Radosavljevic, 70), Hassett (Gregorius, 78), Riley; White (Rood, 63), Wilkinson (Satchell, 78) Referee:     Luo Nizhi