ZHAOQING, China, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- China ended a losing streak with a 2-0 home victory over Malaysia in an international friendly here on Saturday, with Wang Yudong and Zhang Yuning scoring in the first half.
China had lost three consecutive friendlies in last international window, suffering a 3-0 defeat to New Zealand in September before falling 5-0 to Palestine and 1-0 to Tajikistan in October.
With most of its key players back in the squad, China made a positive start and took the lead in the 10th minute. Following a series of passes down the right flank, Lin Liangming delivered a cross into the penalty area, where 20-year-old forward Wang arrived at the far post to head home.
China doubled its lead nine minutes later, when Wang Shangyuan sent a well-weighted ball over the Malaysian defense from midfield, and Zhang chipped the ball over the goalkeeper from inside the penalty area.
Tensions flared between the two sides in first-half stoppage time. After reviewing the incident on VAR, the referee showed yellow cards to China assistant coach Zhou Ting and Malaysia defender Tan Jun Jin.
China enjoyed 59 percent possession in the first half and registered six shots, two on target, while Malaysia managed three attempts without a shot on target.
The Chinese head coach Shao Jiayi made seven substitutions during the second half, and the host's attacking threat diminished.
Malaysia thought it had pulled a goal back in the 77th minute when Fergus Tierney capitalized on a defensive error by China. However, after another VAR review, the referee ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up.
China goalkeeper Li Hao made two crucial saves in the closing stages to preserve the clean sheet. In the 90th minute, Tierney was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul, as China held on to secure a 2-0 victory.
"The match was not easy. As a coach, whether looking at the process or the result, I am very satisfied with what the players showed. The league season has just ended and everyone is very tired. For them to generate such enthusiasm, passion and team spirit at this point in time is exactly what the Chinese team needs," Shao said at the post match press conference.
The 46-year-old urged that the players still need to stay calm. "This victory is very important, but we have no reason to be overly optimistic. The opponents had nearly 20 players unavailable, yet they still possess certain strength -- this is the current reality of Asian football. We cannot take any team or any match lightly."
The Chinese side will play against Bahrain next Tuesday. "We have only two days to recover before the next match, which is very difficult, but professional players must get used to and adapt to this kind of situation. I believe they can perform better in the next match," he added. ■
