China v Spain

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China v Spain

Spain And China Advance With Draw

by Jeremy Ruane

Spain and China battled to a scoreless draw in front of 11,814 fans at the Stade Oceane in Le Havre on June 17, a result which allowed both teams to advance to the knockout stages of the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals.

There were very few chances of note in the first forty-five minutes, and all but one of them was generated by the Spanish. Indeed, it wasn't until the last minute of the first half that China saw the whites of Sandra Panos' eyes, but their efforts to test her foundered on headed clearances by Maria Leon and Irene Paredes.

Otherwise, the half was dominated by Spain. In the third minute, Mariona Caldentey broke down the left before feeding Jennifer Hermoso, who rounded the kamikaze charge of goalkeeper Peng Shimeng but was unable to fire a shot on goal due to the presence of covering defenders.

Five minutes later, Hermoso was fouled on the left, but Brazilian referee Edina Alves Batista played a good advantage as the Spanish striker was able to get her pass away to Caldentey. Her teasing cross saw Peng hesitate, unlike Lucia Garcia, who lunged at the ball and got a touch to it, but not enough of one to direct it on target.

After Nahikari Garcia got in the way of a goalbound Hermoso shot, a super cross on the run from the overlapping Leila Ouahabi resulted in the bizarre sight of Hermoso finding herself surrounded by eight "Steel Roses"!

It wasn't until the 32nd minute that the next shot on goal in anger was fired, Caldentey thrashing her effort past the upright three minutes before a Nahikari Garcia shot was blocked by Wu Haiyan.

Six minutes before half-time, Peng was forced to produce her first save of the match. Lucia Garcia retrieved an overhit cross and laid the ball back to Virginia Torrecilla. She evaded a challenge before picking out the unmarked Hermoso, whose header was saved at the foot of her left-hand post by China's goalkeeper.

Peng was called upon again to grab a Patri Guijarro header following a Hermoso corner, to which China

responded by firing their first shot in anger, a Gu Yasha effort which was blocked by Paredes.

That sparked a counter-attack in which Lucia Garcia's clever back-heeled pass took out three "Steel Roses", and allowed Hermoso to send Nahikari Garcia galloping clear of all-comers.

With half-time substitute Andrea Falcon steaming up in support on her left, Garcia opted to go for glory, but she failed miserably in her quest, dragging her shot well wide of the far post.

After Lucia Garcia had seen her shot blocked by Lin Yuping, Peng was forced into a sprawling save in the 61st minute to deny Guijarro, after Leon, Hermoso and Lucia Garcia had unlocked the door.

Peng then grabbed an Alexia Putellas free-kick nineteen minutes from time, and instantly launched a counter-attack which culminated in the hitherto unoccupied Panos heading the ball clear from beyond the edge of her penalty area.

China's goal came under further pressure eleven minutes from time as well-performed fullback Ouahabi picked out the head of Guijarro. Peng greedily grabbed the ball, then produced a fine save to keep out a shot from the same player four minutes later, before tipping a lob from Hermoso over the bar as Spain piled on the pressure in search of a late winner.

Peng collided with both a post and defender Zhang Rui in her desperate attempts to keep Spain at bay in the dying minutes, efforts which proved fruitful as the final whistle blew, ensuring China's passage into the last sixteen as one of the four best third-placed teams thanks to this 0-0 draw with runners-up Spain.

China: Peng; Han, Wu, Lin, Liu; Shuang Wang (Li Wen, 56 (booked, 62)), Zhang, Yan Wang, Gu (Yao, 87); Li Ying, Wang Shanshan (Yang, 46)

Spain: Panos; Corredera, Paredes, Leon, Ouahabi; L. Garcia (Jimenez, 86), Torrecilla, Guijarro, Caledentey (Falcon, 46); N. Garcia (Putellas, 67), Hermoso

Referee: Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)

Group Matches