Action from the China vs Korea Republic third-fourth place playoff game on Tuesday.

CHONGQING: Hosts China edged Korea Republic 1-0 on Tuesday evening to finish third in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship and secure the only remaining berth from Asia for next year’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The solitary goal was scored by Ruan Xiaoqing in the 77th minute.

The only real attempt on goal in the first half came from China when Ma Zixiang’s freekick thudded against the woodwork in the 34th minute. Other than this, both sides had little to show for all their aggression.

The match continued in a similar vein in the second half until the 77th minute when Zhu Wei’s corner was met by Ma whose header left goalkeeper Kim Seul A with little time to react.

The Koreans tried hard to equalise towards the end but the Chinese backline remained resolute and thwarted all forays.

China coach Gao Rongming expressed his satisfaction with the narrow victory. “It was an important game and handled the pressure well. My players implemented the pre-match plan,” said Gao.

“There was little difference between the teams and since this was the first time some of our players were playing in a tournament of this level, they were nervous. But this was a great chance to train them for the future.”

About the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, Gao said: “We have now trained together as a team for nearly two years and before the World Cup we will play in more competitions to improve our weak points.”