India lose to China; still in fray for AFC U-16 final round

New Delhi, Nov 12: A spirited India went down 0-1 to China in the second Group B league match of the qualifiers for

the AFC Women`s Under-16 Championship 2009 but kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the final round. India, who stunned fancied Uzbekistan 3-1 in the first match, fought well against China but were done in by Zhang Jieli`s 34th-minute strike at the KLFA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, last night. China, with two successive wins, have six points while India and Chinese Taipei have three points each. But India are placed second on account of a better goal difference. With the top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team reaching the finals, India have a great chance of making the cut. They meet Chinese Taipei in their last group league encounter tomorrow and even a draw will be suffice to progress. Bureau Report