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Steel roses advance to FIFA U-19 Women's final
China were the toast of Asia on Wednesday when they reached the final of the FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship with a glorious and gutsy 2-0 win over the young starlets of Brazil in Bangkok. The 'Steel Rosebuds' went into the match as underdogs after losing to Brazil in group play but superior tactics allied with a tremendous defensive display saw them emerge victorious.
Two first-half goals from lone striker Lou Xiaoxu handed China a place in Saturday's final where they will meet a powerful German team who upset defending champions USA 3-1 in the other semi-final. The 'Samba Princesses' relied too much on the individual skills of the much-praised Marta and Cristiane and were repeatedly frustrated by the well-organised Chinese defence. The Brazilian's trickery brought squeals of delight from the female fans but too often they tried to break through with solo runs or long range efforts. FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was in the crowd for both semi-finals, praised the performances of both China and Germany. "There was a lot of good football played in both semi finals, in fact the standard has been very, very high throughout the tournament," he said. "The American players looked a bit tired tonight and Germany were strong. "I thought it was a great tactical display by China. The Brazilians had a lot of skill but football is a team sport and they relied too much on individual talent." Lou opened the scoring in the 11th minute when, all alone in the box, she pounced on a diverted cross from the right to sidefoot home. Brazil mounted attack after attack in search of the equaliser but the great wall of Chinese red shirts stood firm. As Brazil1s frustration mounted China added to their uphill task with another goal in the 42nd minute. The disorganised Brazil defence failed to clear a free kick and the ball fell to Lou who calmly stroked home her second goal of the night. The win for China was a great fillip for football on the mainland after the failure of the men's team in 2006 World Cup qualifying and the recent slide of the senior women's side, the once-mighty 'Steel Roses'. |
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