China eyes victorious opener at AFC women's Asian Cup
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China, the 17th AFC women's Asian Cup hosts, will kick off its campaign on Wednesday by taking on South Korea in the Group B opener.
The AFC women's Asian Cup will be held in the soccer-mad city of Chengdu from May 19-30. The top three finishers will qualify for next year's World Cup in Germany.
According to the latest FIFA women's rankings, China stands at 12th ahead of South Korea (21).
Though China had 20 victories in their previous 23 meetings, they face a tough battle against South Korea on Wednesday.
South Korea coach Lee Sang-yeop expressed his confidence in his squad and set a goal of reaching the May 30 final.
"We hope to reach the final, and the squad is the strongest we've ever had," Lee said. "Now that the dice has been rolled, we will do whatever we can do to win a spot at the FIFA Women's World Cup."
China coach Shang Ruihua appears confident after settling on Xu Yuan as a replacement for injured striker Ma Xiaoxu, especially after the 24-year-old scored in a recent 2-0 friendly win over Canada.
"We had been using Ma Xiaoxu and Han Duan as our top two strikers till this year's Algarve Cup, but had to change tactics after Xiaoxu got injured in Kunming last month," Shang said.
"Xu Yuan will now play with Han Duan up front. She's a player with more comprehensive skill and as good as Ma in front of goal.
"If the young players can perform 80% to 100% of their level, we would win the match," he added.
China last won the Asian Cup in Adelaide in 2006 after a record seven successive titles from 1983 to 1999.
However, DPR Korea have become Asia's dominant force in women's soccer over the past decade and are eyeing their fourth title in five editions after wins in 2001, 2003 and 2008, when they beat China 2-1 in the final in Ho Chi Minh City.
DPR Korea are in Group A with Japan, Myanmar and Thailand. Group B also includes Australia and Vietnam.
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