Dong spares China's blushes

Source: Agencies  |   2008-8-8  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SUBSTITUTE striker Dong Fangzhuo scored a late equalizer to give China a 1-1 draw with 10-man New Zealand yesterday in its opener at the Olympic soccer tournament.

Dong's 88th-minute header from near the penalty spot went over New Zealand goalkeeper Jacob Spoonley and into the far post, delighting the loud home crowd at the nearly packed 60,000-capacity Shenyang Olympic Stadium. It was China's first Olympic goal in men's soccer.

"I would like to thank the Shenyang fans for supporting us despite the difficult situation we were in," China coach Yin Tiesheng said. "The players didn't give up in the end and the fans didn't give up either."

Midfielder Jeremy Brockie opened the scoring for New Zealand with a right-footer from inside the area in the 53rd minute, completing Craig Henderson's pass over the Chinese defense.

New Zealand played a man down from 39 minutes after Steven Old received a second yellow card for handball in the pulsating Group C encounter.

"I'm obviously extremely disappointed, but obviously extremely proud," said New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen. "We battled hard. I thought it was going to be one of the greatest wins ever in the history of New Zealand football."

China controlled possession and enjoyed some of the best opportunities throughout the match.

Striker Han Peng headed on to the crossbar four minutes into the match, while Jiang Ning's deflected shot also hit the woodwork in the 76th.

Already eliminated from the 2010 World Cup, China is solely focused on the Olympics. In its only other appearance at the Games, it was eliminated in the group stages at Seoul 1988 without scoring a goal.

Just three weeks ago, the team's manager, Serbian Ratomir Dujkovic, was replaced by Yin. Dujkovic was appointed an adviser to the squad.

New Zealand is playing its first Olympic tournament.

Several Chinese players were in the team that advanced to the second round of the 2005 Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands in 2005.

Earlier, Brazil coach Dunga, already upset about training arrangements for his team, complained about the pitch at the Shenyang stadium.

After watching his side struggle to a 1-0 win over nine-man Belgium in its opening game, Dunga said the pitch had made life more difficult.

"If the pitch had been better, it would have been a much better match, regardless of the opposition," he told reporters.

"The ball bounces around all over the place and you need two or three touches to bring it under control."

Dunga is under pressure to do well after poor recent results with the senior team, which he also coaches.