Weinan (China), July 12 (IANS) A double strike from captain Liu Ruofan helped the China U-17 team beat Turkmenistan 4-1 in the opening match of the 2016 Silk Road Cup Youth Football tournament here.
The 17-year-old Liu scored his first goal in the 11th minute to put the hosts in the lead. Cai Haochang and Tao Qianglong enlarged the cushion for China in the next 10 minutes, both scoring from sharp counterattacks, reports Xinhua.
Enjoying the support of more than 10,000 supporters, the Chinese footballers manintained a high possession rate throughout the match. Liu sealed the triumph with his second goal in the 28th minute.
Turkmenistan didn't give up and substitute striker Ilya Salov netted a consolation goal in the 86th minute.
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"I'm glad we have a wonderful beginning in Weinan. The players did excellent job in the field," said Wen Zhijun, the coach of the Chinese team.
In the other match, South Korea defeated Tajikistan 3-1.
This is the second time that Weinan held the round-robin tournament which features the U-17 national teams of China, South Korea, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
--IANS
ajb/vt
