BANGKOK, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China suffered a 3-1 defeat against hosts Thailand in their 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Futsal Asian Cup Group A opener here on Wednesday.
Thailand took a commanding lead with three goals in the first half, but China refused to go down without a fight by choosing to use the power play early and often.
The tactic went close to bearing fruit with Shen Siming drilling a low shot in from the edge of the area that slammed against the far post.
Chen Zhiheng missed another chance after he broke through the middle but his lofted effort clipped the top of the crossbar and went over despite beating the Thai goalkeeper.
China did finally score when Xu Yang found the target shortly before the final whistle, ending the match 3-1.
In the other match of the group, Vietnam drew Myanmar 1-1. China will play Vietnam in the second match.
The top four of the 16 teams competing in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup will qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup slated between September 14 and October 6 in Uzbekistan.
As Uzbekistan has automatically qualified as hosts, the fifth-placed team will be determined via playoff matches if Uzbekistan progresses to the semifinals of the AFC Futsal Asian Cup. ■
