SPORTS
China draws 1-1 with Germany at FIFA U-17 Women’s Cup in Baku
Baku, September 27 (AZERTAC). China secured a 1-1 draw in a play against Germany at the FIFA Women’s World Cup U-17 in Azerbaijan in the second round in Group D. After seven minutes, Zhang Chen created the first dangerous moment for the German defence with a mazy run into the box, but her efforts were eventually halted by the lunging Lena Luckel.
The Chinese only had to wait until the 12th minute to get the game’s opening goal. Miao Siwen picked up a fine pass from Li Mengwen before hammering a powerful shot from 20 yards into the top corner. The half finished with a high tempo which bled straight into the second period, with China making the more impressive headway.
The introduction of striker Venus El-Kassem with 15 minutes to go improved Germany’s efforts, forcing Feifei into a save, but was taken off soon after through injury. This saw replacement Kiessling step up to the plate and nod home a free-kick with 94 minutes on the clock to save a point.
After the meeting, Germany’s coach Anouschka Bernhard told media, "We are very happy with this result. In the second half we put a lot of effort towards finding an equaliser and finally were rewarded at the end of the game. China, as we expected, were a strong opponent and they played very well."
On the same day Ghana cruised to a 5-0 win over Uruguay at Baku’s Bayil Stadium. Ghana will now be hoping for a positive result from their final game against China in Baku on Sunday to ensure their progression to the last eight.
Brazil left themselves in with a strong chance of reaching the knockout phase by scoring the only goal in a play against Mexico.
The 2012 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup was inaugurated last weekend in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a stunning ceremony featuring world-renowned Jennifer Lopez and Cirque de Soleil. The championship involving female football players under 17 from 16 countries ends on Oct. 13.