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China open up Asian Cup qualifiers with 2-0 win
(www.ttav89.com/AFP)
Updated: 2006-02-23 11:03
China cruise to a 2-0 home victory over
Palestine Wednesday in their opener of 2007 Asian Cup qualifers.
Two central backs, Du Wei and Li Weifeng, scored for China as Dong
Fangzhuo, a Manchester United forward on loan at Belgian's second
division Antwerp, missed a penalty which could have been his first goal in
national team.
Besides Dong, China coach Zhu Guanghu also called up midfielder Li
Tie, a long-time Everton bench warmer since suffering a
severe injury in 2004. Manchester City's Sun Jihai and Munich 1860's Shao
Jiayi stayed with their sides.
Du Wei opened the score in the 23rd minute, heading home a
cross from Tao Wei, a substitue for China's banned playmaker Zheng Zhi.
Li Weifeng made it 2-0 sixteen minutes into the second half
as Dong dashed to the right and cross the ball to an unmarked Li,
who cashed in on the counterattack.
The recent form of the Palestinians should have rung warning bells -- last
week they beat 2004 semi-finalists Bahrain 2-0 and followed it up with a
comfortable 3-0 victory over Pakistan.
While defending Asian Cup champions Japan rout India 6-0, other
Asian powers also had solid victories, with South Korea posting a gutsy 2-1
win over Syria in Aleppo, Iran trouncing Taiwan 4-0 in Tehran and Saudi Arabia
proving equally convincing in a 4-0 crushing of Yemen.
Zico's charges were in irresistible form against the Indians, who put up a
game fight in the first half but collapsed under sustained pressure in the
second.
The opening goal came from former Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono in the 32nd
minute, handing Zico the 100th goal since he took charge following Japan's
successful 2002 World Cup campaign.
Ono also scored the first goal of the Zico era.
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