PATTAYA, Thailand, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Oman beat China 11-0 in the quarterfinals at the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2023 here on Thursday.
Oman finished unbeaten to top Group D while two-time semifinalists China advanced as the Group C runners-up, winning two matches but losing 6-1 to defending champions Japan.
It only took Oman three minutes to break the deadlock with a stinging grounded free-kick into China's goal.
"We have prepared everything for the first period but just gave them the goal that easily," Chinese head coach Marcelo Mendes said after the match.
With a total of 16 teams, the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2023 also serves as the qualifiers for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2023, which is scheduled to be played in November. ■
