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| Chinese players celebrate the winning after the match between China and Croatia at 2017 China Cup International Football Championship in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Jan 14, 2017. (Photo/VCG) |
NANNING, China - China pulled it even at the 89th minute and went on to beat Croatia in penalty shootout on Saturday, finishing third at the 2017 Gree China Cup International Football Championship which also features Chile and Iceland.
Wang Jingbin, who replaced Hui Jiakang at the 76th minute, swung in an equalizing header 13 minutes later, just on his second touch of the ball. Luka Ivanusec had opened the account for Croatia.
"The goal is a result of teamwork. I was just in the right place to finish the job," said Wang, 21, who is making his national team debut.
"It's a good start for me, but I still have a long way to go," he added.
The goal is a result of teamwork. I was just in the right place to finish the job
Wang Jingbin
In the shootout, Antonio Perosevic rattled the bar in Croatia's third attempt, before Croatian goalkeeper Andrej Prskalo blocked Fan Xiaodong's shot.
Then Chinese goalie Shi Xiaotian stopped the effort of Josip Misic in the fifth round before Wang Jinxian secured the victory for the hosts.
"Penalty is always lottery," said Ante Cacic, head coach of Croatia. "We played much better in the match and should have finished the match earlier. China is luckier today. But this is just the beauty of football."
Ivanusec was everywhere at the beginning. After his header just missed the target in the ninth minute, Ivanusec received a pass from Fran Tudor and sent his low shot to the back of the net in the 36th. The midfielder had a good chance to double the lead seven minutes later, but his long-range shot went wild.
Croatia, who replaced seven starters in Wednesday's loss to Chile, conceded few chances to China in the first half. The home players had to resort to counter-attacks, with Yin Hongbo being the most dangerous, having threatened Croatia's goal in the 14th minute.
The match marked the first goal, as well as the first win, for Italian Marcello Lippi since the World Cup-winning coach was appointed on Oct. 22 last year to guide the Chinese national team.
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| China’s forward Wang Jingbin (centre) scores with this head during the match between China and Croatia on Jan 14, 2017. (Photo / Xinhua) |
