Leaking defence dims China's quarterfinal hope at Beijing Olympic women's handball
15/8/2008 17:08
Host China's hope for quarterfinal became slim after losing 29-26 to
Kazakhstan at Beijing Olympic women's handball event in Beijing
yesterday.
After roaring past Angola 32-24 on Wednesday, China could have
booked a ticket for the quarterfinal if they snatched another victory against
Kazakhstan. However, Chinese players cracked down under huge pressure, failing
to score an opening goal before the opponent surged a 5-0 run at the beginning
of the match.
After center back Li Weiwei opened scoring for China eight
minutes into the game, host conquered the pressure and regained their rhythm.
However, they still could not close the gap with their leaking defence
constantly broken through by Kazakhstan players.
The 1.63m-high winger Marina
Pikalova, the shortest player in the court, netted in eight points with her fast
movements while the 1.92-high Olga Ajiderskaya, the tallest one, earned six
goals thanks to her powerful long shots.
"My focus was on defence. Because
defence is crucial to success in match. I am not worried about our attack. To be
honest, the Chinese team's defence was not as good as their attack," said Lev
Yaniyev, coach of Kazakhstan.
China will face France, 5th placer in 2007
World Championship, in the last preliminary match and it will be very difficult
for the host to win the match.
The Chinese side can only lay their hope on
Angola, who will take on Kazakhstan in the last game. If Angola wins, China
still have chance to enter the quarterfinal due to a better goal
difference.
Xinhua
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