CHINA PR 4 (Jin Kun 25’, Wang Shanshan 47’, Wang Shuang 60’, Song Duan 84’)
VIETNAM 0

China PR issued an early warning ahead of April’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup, overcoming fellow Jordan 2018 qualifiers Vietnam with a convincing 4-0 win at the Century Lotus Stadium.

2017 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship star Jin Kun showed her quality at senior level to open the scoring, while Wang Shanshan, Wang Shuang and Song Duan added second half goals as the hosts cruised to victory.

It was a night to forget for Vietnam, whose star goalkeeper and captain Dang Thi Kieu Trinh was sent off before half-time as Mai Duc Chung’s side slumped to their first defeat since 2016.

China, who piled on eight goals against Vietnam in the corresponding tournament two years ago, took control of the game from the outset, but the visitors survived the opening exchanges without conceding, and gave the Chinese defence a moment of panic through a corner kick in the 22 nd minute.

The four teams will each play three matches over five days in a round-robin format, with Thailand to open the tournament against Colombia, before SEA Games champions Vietnam meet host nation China in the later match on Friday evening.

Vietnam, undefeated in 2017, will seek an improvement on their 2016 Four Nations showing, where they suffered three heavy defeats, including an 8-0 thrashing at the hands of the Steel Roses.

This time, the Southeast Asians arrive in Guangdong Province fresh from a training camp in Hanoi under the stewardship of head coach Mai Duc Chung, who claimed Coach of the Year at the Vietnamese Sports Awards earlier this week, with his side earning Team of the Year honours at the same ceremony.

The 27-year-old shot-stopper, who last appeared for the women’s national team in 2015, joined the Bavarian club last month from Chinese champions Dalian Quanjian.

Speaking to the Xinhua news outlet, Wang revealed her excitement at joining one of the world’s most illustrious football clubs.

"I will try my best to become the first choice goalkeeper in Bayern and help our club win in the Frauen-Bundesliga and in next season's Champions League,” said the veteran of over 60 international matches.

"One's football career is short. I want to see the best of myself with this platform and achieve as much as I can at my peak time."

The camp, which began this week in Corona, California, will include up to 40 players and continue until March, as new head coach Richard Boon looks to mould his squad into a team capable of competing with Asia’s best.

Speaking from the United States, goalkeeper and on-field leader Inna Palacios said such an intensive preparation is necessary.

“We want to give our best efforts when we get to Jordan. Having the camp in California is providing the training and recovery we will need in our preparations up until April,” she said.

“It’s weird being away from home and not having the vibe of the Philippines, but this is the sacrifice asked of us to represent the flag. It’s important to push through adversity.

“We all come from different places and having us all together for this camp helps us bond and get some team chemistry which will hopefully show on the field.”

The Malditas made history last year, becoming the first Filipino senior national team – male or female – to successfully navigate the qualification stages to reach the continental Finals, with their previous appearances in the Women’s Asian Cup taking place in the pre-qualification era.

Following that success, Jordan 2018 presents an opportunity to make a global impact, with the top five teams in the tournament to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be held in France in 2019.