26 Aug 2007
VIDEO: China 1-0 England

In their final warm-up game before the World Cup gets underway, China prove too hot for the Three Lions.

China

1-0

England

Zhang Tong 45
International Friendly, World Cup warm up
8pm (local time), Sunday 26 August 2007
Macau

Hope Powell's Three Lions went down to a 1-0 defeat against World Cup hosts China, in their final warm-up game ahead of the sixth FIFA Women's World Cup which begins next month.

Despite the evening kick off there were temperatures well above 80 degrees fahrenheit and sweltering humidity in Macau, where the squad have been training alongside Britain's World Championship athletes.

Although the visitors dominated the opening exchanges, though rarely troubling the goal of the World Cup hosts, England conceded right on the stroke of half time, when Zhang Tong scored from close range after Rachel Brown spilled a deep cross.

However, England had two gilt edged chances through Karen Carney and Sue Smith to equalise but couldn't breach China's wall-like defence.

Hope Powell's starting eleven gave a strong indication as to who is likely to get the nod for the opening Group A fixture against Japan on 11 September in Shanghai.

However when Arsenal's Anita Asante sustained a niggle late in the first half, she was replaced by her Arsenal teammate Faye White who is fighting for a starting spot again after missing the bulk of last season with a cruciate ligament injury.

England's group games against Japan, 11 September, Germany, 14 September, and Argentina, 17 September, are all live on BBC Two.

England: 1 Brown (Chamberlain 80), 2 A. Scott, 3 Stoney, 4 Chapman, 12 Asante (White 37), 6 Philip, 7 Carney, 8 Williams, 9 Aluko, 10 K Smith, 11 Yankey (S Smith 70)

Substitutes not used: 14 Unitt, 16 J Scott, 17 Handley, 18 Sanderson, 19 Exley, 20 Johnson, 22 Telford,

China: 1 Han Wenxia, 4 Pu Wei, 5 Li Jie (Wang Kun 46) 7 Bi Yan, 9 Ma Xiaoxu (Liu Sa 73), 10 Han Duan Zhang Uuying 8), 12 Xie Caixia, 14 Zhang Tong (Pan Lina 55), 16 Liu Yali, 20 Qu Feifel (Song Xiaoli 55), 23 Zhou Gaoping (Zhang Ying 58)