SAINT-MALO, France, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- China lost to powerhouses Germany 2-0, while maintaining chance of making it into the quarterfinals at the 2018 FIFA Women's U-20 World Cup here on Thursday.
"It's a game between two different philosophies," China's head coach Peter Bonde told Xinhua.
"Germany had great respect for us, and just waited for us to make mistakes. We dominated the ball, but it's hard for us to break down a strong team like Germany," he added.
Germany are one of four sides to have qualified for every finals of the tournament, which they won three times.
Bonde dispatched the same starting 11 players as their first group match against Haiti. China restrained their strong opponents quite well in the first half hour of the head-to-head between two winning sides.
However, the three-time champions managed to find a way to move in front in the 31st minute, as Stefanie Sanders' cross picked out Giulia Gwinn, who fired a shot into the far corner.
Sanders, standing 1.78 meters tall, was a continuous threat to China's defense. After her another shot was blocked by goalkeeper Xu Huan, which resulted in the followed-up corner kick, Sanders' striking partner Laura Freigang directed her teammate's flighted delivery into the net in the 40th minute.
"If it was 0-0 until the halftime, it would perhaps have been different," admitted Bonde.
China had their response in the second half, as forward Xie Qiwen hit the post and captain Wang Linlin saw her curling shot just beyond the crossbar, while Xu kept her goal intact through the second half.
Booking a yellow card in the 72nd minute, Xie will miss the final group match next Monday.
"I'm pleased with our defensive play and a lot of things, but it's hard for us to have really big chances," Bonde pointed out.
"It's good experience facing those strong sides. I don't feel any pressure about it, and just focus on game after game, step by step," said China's forward Zhao Yujie, currently playing for NCAA's Florida State University.
Ahead of the other Group D match to be played between Haiti and Nigeria later on Thursday, Germany rank atop the table with consecutive wins in two matches, three points ahead of second-placed China. Enditem
