Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Wuhan: Xie Qiwen scored a hat-trick to help a dominant China claim third place at the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship for the third successive time as the hosts defeated Thailand 8-0 at a wet Xinhua Road Stadium on Sunday.
Having defeated their opponents on penalties at the same stage in the 2013 edition of the continental competition, the hosts went in front within 15 minutes through forward Zhao Yujie before top scorer Wang Yanwen, a quick-fire double by Xie and a tap-in from Jin Kin made it 5-0 at the interval.
The Young Steel Roses continued in the ascendency after the restart as Xie completed her hat-trick 20 minutes in before Wang’s coolly finished a penalty with two minutes remaining and a strike from substitute Shen Mengyu in added time wrapped up the win.
After being eliminated by a late DPR Korea goal in the semi-finals, Gao Hong’s China had the first opportunity of the game inside 10 minutes when Zhao played in her strike partner Wang, but a combination of defender Tipkritta Onsamai and goalkeeper Pantip Ranwiwat managed to thwart her as she raced through on goal.
But the hosts then did take the lead in the 14th minute when, after good work from Zhang Linyan down the left, the ball eventually ended up at the feet of Wang, who played a short pass to Zhao and she made no mistake in slotting under Pantip from eight yards.
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And the East Asians doubled their advantage in the 19th minute with one of the goals of the tournament when Wang received the ball 25 yards from goal, spun and fired an unstoppable shot into the top left corner for her fifth of the campaign.
With Thailand struggling to contain their opponents, China went three up a minute later when Zhang found midfielder Xie in the left side of the penalty area and she drilled home from a tight angle, before the midfielder then doubled her tally on 25 minutes by blasting into the back of the net from a similar position for her third of the tournament.
The Young Steel Roses made it five on the half hour mark after Zhao’s cross from the right was headed up in the air by defender Phonphirun Philawan, and when it fell at the feet of midfielder Jin, she was handed an easy finish to take her personal tally to three goals in two games against Thailand.
Having been comprehensively beaten 8-0 by Japan in the semi-finals, Nuengrutai Srathongvian’s Thailand must have feared the worst going into the second half and they nearly went six down just after the hour mark when Xie raced down the left before crossing to Zhang, but Pantip somehow managed to keep her volley out from point-blank range.
China did make it six, though, on 65 minutes when defender Fang Jie raced onto a Ma Xiaolan throughball to cross from the right for Xie to tap home her third of the afternoon.
The Southeast Asians then finally had their first sight on goal with 20 minutes remaining when a long ball over the top from Phonphirun landed at the feet of forward Kanyanat Chetthabutr, whose shot from 12 yards came back off the top of the crossbar.
Wang then made it seven from the penalty spot after Zhang had been brought down in the 88th minute before substitute Shen rounded off the scoring with a low finish from inside the area in stoppage time.
Photo: WSG