China pulled it even at the 89th minute and went on to beat Croatia in penalty shootout on Saturday, finishing third at the 2017 Gree China Cup International Football Championship which also features Chile and Iceland. (Xinhua)
China pulled it even at the 89th minute and went on to beat Croatia in penalty shootout on Saturday, finishing third at the 2017 Gree China Cup International Football Championship which also features Chile and Iceland.
Wang Jingbin, who replaced Hui Jiakang at the 76th minute, swung in an equalizing header 13 minutes later, just on his second touch of the ball. Luka Ivanusec had opened the account for Croatia.
"The goal is a result of teamwork. I was just in the right place to finish the job," said Wang, 21, who is making his national team debut.
"It's a good start for me, but I still have a long way to go," he added.
In the shootout, Antonio Perosevic rattled the bar in Croatia's third attempt, before Croatian goalkeeper Andrej Prskalo blocked Fan Xiaodong's shot.
Then Chinese goalie Shi Xiaotian stopped the effort of Josip Misic in the fifth round before Wang Jinxian secured the victory for the hosts.
"Penalty is always lottery," said Ante Cacic, head coach of Croatia. "We played much better in the match and should have finished the match earlier. China is luckier today. But this is just the beauty of football."
Ivanusec was everywhere at the beginning. After his header just missed the target in the ninth minute, Ivanusec received a pass from Fran Tudor and sent his low shot to the back of the net in the 36th. The midfielder had a good chance to double the lead seven minutes later, but his long-range shot went wild.
Croatia, who replaced seven starters in Wednesday's loss to Chile, conceded few chances to China in the first half. The home players had to resort to counter-attacks, with Yin Hongbo being the most dangerous, having threatened Croatia's goal in the 14th minute.
The match marked the first goal, as well as the first win, for Italian Marcello Lippi since the World Cup-winning coach was appointed on Oct. 22 last year to guide the Chinese national team.
Lippi made two substitutions after the break, and his disciples responded with the first clear-cut chance in the 59th minute.
During the second half, Chinese goalie Shi continued to dive for saves while the visitors wasted chances time and again. After Wang scored the equalizer, Shi made another huge effort, blocking the last shot of Franko Andrijasevic in the 90th minute to force the match into penalties.
"We met a very tough opponent today but we never gave up," said Lippi. "I want to thank all my players. They played quite better in the second half and it's lucky for us to win on penalties. What surprises me most is that we played like a team in the second half."
"As a coach, I want to build confidence in my players. I want to tell them, as long as they contribute all they have, they will face all opponents without fear. It doesn't necessarily mean that we can win all matches, but we shall fear no one in matches," added Lippi.
On Wang Jingbin, Lippi said: "Wang played for only about 15 minutes, so I think it's difficult for me to tell what kind of player he is, but he scored a goal and a penalty. This is just fascinating."
It was the first win for China after they beat Trinidad and Tobago 4-2 in a friendly in June last year, and Wang also became the first Chinese player to score since China lost to South Korea 3-2 in their 2018 World Cup qualifier in Seoul on Sept. 1.
On March 23, China will play South Korea again on home turf in Changsha in a World Cup qualifier.
The China Cup, launched by the Wanda Group and the Chinese Football Association, is an A-grade international event acknowledged by world football governing body FIFA. It is widely regarded as an important platform for the host team to hone their skills ahead of what remains a long-shot bid for Russia 2018.
Wanda Group, a top sponsor of FIFA and instrumental in getting the China Cup off the ground, has been at the forefront of China's push to be a world football power.
"We hope that the China Cup will become a great platform for the Chinese national team to play against top-class teams in the world, and also a great opportunity to promote the development of the sports industry in China," Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin said during an earlier event to promote the tournament.
Wanda has also sealed a series of high profile sports investments to build up its sports business arm. It now owns a 20 percent stake in Spanish club Atletico Madrid, has acquired the organizer of the Ironman Triathlon races, World Triathlon Corp, along with Swiss-based sports marketing firm Infront.
The inaugural four-team China Cup was opened on Tuesday night in the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Chile and Iceland will vie for the title in Sunday's final.
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