Wang scores in extra time as China edges Vietnam to reach women's football semis

Wang Shuang scored in the 109th minute as China edged Vietnam 1-0 in extra time Friday to reach the semifinals of women's football at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

China will face DPR Korea in the semifinals on Tuesday as DPRK thrashed Chinese Taipei 5-1 in another quarterfinal.

China topped Group G with two wins and one draw for seven points, while Vietnam advanced as the best third-placed team after collecting one point from one draw and two defeats in Group E.

The Steel Roses put Vietnam under pressure from kickoff but failed to create clear-cut chances in the first half.

China head coach Ante Milicic fielded striker Shao Ziqin, who had just returned from Portuguese club Benfica, in the 57th minute, to increase the pace of China's attack.

In the 63rd minute, Wang dribbled past defenders before delivering a fine pass, but Xie Zongmei missed the goal from close range.

Wang Yanwen was booked in the 74th minute for pulling down a Vietnamese player and will miss the semifinal due to two yellow cards accumulated.

China had a few chances in stoppage time, but shots from Shao Ziqin and Sun Fangxin inside the penalty area were all saved by the Vietnamese goalkeeper.

China registered 24 shots, including 10 on target, during regular time, compared with two shots and one on target for Vietnam. It was the first time that Chinese women's football failed to beat Vietnam in regular time.

China dominated in extra time and broke the deadlock in the 109th minute. A long ball was played into the penalty area, where Shao Ziqin controlled it before Wang Shuang calmly placed her shot into the far corner.

Milicic admitted that China should have settled the match in 90 minutes.

"It was a frustrating day because we really should have scored a goal earlier in the 90 minutes, but we didn't. But in the end, happy to get the win," he said.

Looking ahead to DPRK, Milicic said China would face a very different tactical challenge.

"If you look at them, their U17 and U20 and senior national team all play the same way. The junior teams are all used to winning World Cups, winning Asian Cups. They're very strong and difficult to deal with," he said.

"To dominate the game against them, not many teams have that opportunity. However, in a one-off game, I'll always believe in our girls. We'll come up with a game plan."

Milicic also acknowledged that China would have to make several changes due to injuries and suspension, with Zhang Linyan was injured in the group stage, while Li Qingtong and Wang Aifang picked up injuries on Friday's match.

"So there's going to be a lot of changes that we have to do. But the first thing we need to do is recovering well, see who's available," Milicic said.

"We're playing a very strong team next, but we're not afraid. We don't want to set the target for the final. Whether we'll get there depends on the day. But one thing I can guarantee you is the girls will fight and give everything they can."