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China bows out with head held high
By Chen Xiangfeng
Updated: 2007-09-24 07:08
China's Han Duan (center) tries to break Norway's defence during their
2007 Women's World Cup quarterfinal match yesterday in Wuhan. Norway won
1-0. Yang Shizhong
WUHAN: China failed to qualify for the semifinals of the Women's Soccer
World Cup after a narrow 1-0 loss to Norway yesterday - but the "Steel
Roses'" exit from the big stage is not all doom and gloom.
A costly mistake from defender Wang Kun in the first half cost the
tournament host a spot in the final four despite outplaying the
higher-ranked Norwegians for much of the match.
China's 28 scoring chances compared to Norway's eight do not reflect the
final score.
"I am very sad for the girls," said China's emotional head coach Marika
Domanski-Lyfors.
"They did what they could do in the game. They played really a very good
game.
"Norway had just one good shooting chance in the first half and that was
the goal.
"We did not take the opportunities to get the goal and that's why we did
not make the semifinals."
Norwegian striker Isabell Herlovsen capitalized on Wang's blunder in the
penalty area in the 32nd-minute.
The teenager rifled a left-foot shot into the roof of the net to help
Norway scrape through to a meeting with Germany.
Domanski-Lyfors insisted China was the better team but Norway more
efficient.
"We did very well technically and tactically," she said.
"Norway is one of the best teams in the world but we sometimes outplayed
them and we had more chances. It's clear which team was the best tonight.
"But Norway is really a good team and they took the opportunity."
Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen admitted his team was lucky to bag the win.
"It was a very tough match," he said.
"China changed their way of playing, playing one up front for the first
time this tournament, and that showed a great deal of respect for us.
"Marika (Domanski-Lyfors) knows us very well and she knows the best way
to stop our play.
"The game was very tight and we only won because their defender made a
mistake and our striker was extremely quick to react.
"A lot of big games are won and lost like that."
The two sides fought for control in the midfield well into the match and
no serious chances were created until the ninth minute.
Teenage striker Ma Xiaxu, dubbed the female Wayne Rooney, was wide open
at the edge of the penalty area but volleyed just over the bar to finish
her campaign fruitless.
Ma's partner Han Duan also tested Norway's goalkeeper Bente Nordby 13
minutes in.
Norway responded three minutes later with what turned out to be a wayward
free kick.
The determined host almost took the lead in the 23rd minute when captain
Bi Yan's angled shot was brilliantly saved by Nordby.
The goal drought also continued for Han, China's leading scorer in
lead-up games whose header beat the goalkeeper only to just miss the
target.
Herlovsen did not squander the penalty for Wang Kun's defensive blunder
in the 32nd minute, blasting the ball past the goalkeeper.
China tried to equalize before the interval and fired four successive
shots in the final minute.
Norway began to use its physical advantages in the second half and nearly
doubled its tally seven minutes in.
It launched a successful counter-attack in the midfield only for Ane
Stangeland Horpestad's curving shot to hit the crossbar.
China answered strongly with strong efforts from Han, Ma and Xie Caixia
but to no avail.
Domanski-Lyfors inserted Zhang Ouying and Zhang Tong to boost her attack
but even a more aggressive China couldn't find the net.
"We have to be very efficient. We had very good chances in the first half
but we did not score," Domanski-Lyfors lamented.
That's not very good. I made it 3-3-4 in the second and it nearly worked.
We were very close but close is not enough."
Despite the disappointment, Domanski-Lyfors believes China's prospects
are bright even if hers aren't quite so shiny.
"Football is not always logic which we can see today. You need good luck
to win and sometimes we do not have it," she said.
"But firstly we have to have a good team like China, they can play really
really good football, technically and tactically against the world's best
teams. That's the future for China."
"For me, first of all, I have to think about if I would be the coach in
the future and in the Olympic Games.
"It's very important to do after a championships. I consider it if
everyone else takes the coach of the team, it's a great team and I really
love the team."
Previously, two rivals had met on 21 occasions, with Norway winning 11
games and China's seven (plus three draws).
Norway triumphed 4-1 in the Algarve Cup in 1996, but China claimed
victory in the teams' two previous FIFA Women's World Cup encounters.
It defeated the Scandinavians 4-0 on home soil in the opening match of
the inaugural event in 1991 before securing a 5-0 victory in the
semifinal of the USA tournament in 1999.
Norway was a narrow 1-0 winner when the teams last met at the Algarve Cup
in 2006.
Norway had never beaten a host nation at the FIFA Women's World Cup.
In 1991 it lost 4-0 to China and in 2003 was eliminated 1-0 by the United
States in the quarters.
In the following quarterfinal match last night, Brazil sent Australia
packing 3-2 to clinch its place in the semifinals.
Norway now travels to Tianjin to play defending champion Germany on
Wednesday while Brazil makes the trip to eastern Hangzhou to face off
against the top ranked United States on Thursday.
(China Daily 09/24/2007 page12)
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