Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The women's national teams of China and Uzbekistan drew 1-1 in the second round of the group stage of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games football tournament. The result prevented China from securing an early place in the knockout stage.
After a 5-1 victory over Hong Kong in the opening round, China head coach Antonio Milicic made eight changes to his starting lineup. Wang Shuang, who scored twice and provided two assists in the previous match, started on the bench this time.
China controlled possession from the opening minutes and regularly created dangerous chances near Uzbekistan's goal. However, Uzbekistan opened the scoring. In the 42nd minute, Holida Dadaboeva reacted first to a rebound and headed the ball into the net.
Wang Shuang came on after the break, adding more attacking threat to China's play. In the 71st minute, following a corner, Wang Yanwen headed the ball back into the area, and Zhang Lingyan equalized with another header.
Two minutes later, Wang Shuang had an opportunity to put China ahead. She dribbled past several defenders outside the penalty area and took a long-range shot, but the ball struck the crossbar.
China continued to apply pressure in the final stages and looked for a second goal. Uzbekistan, however, remained organized defensively and prevented its opponents from securing a victory.
China recorded 24 shots, with 10 on target. Uzbekistan attempted five shots, three of which were on target.
