The sides went into the game quite evenly matched ranking wise with China PR ranked 16th and Netherlands ranked 12th.
Over the course of the game it was China who seemed to dominate the possession with around 59%. Hang Peng came close early on but Veenendaal was able to anticipate the shot and prevented the forward from scoring.
China's possession helped them throughout the game with a number of shots on Holland's goal and head coach Hao Wei would have been impressed with his side. Although the quick passing in the final third still didn't get past Holland's keeper. Tang Jiali came the closest after hitting the crossbar with a shot from just outside the box.
However, the Netherlands back four were able to keep China at bay while they were playing that style. In the 90th minute the Chinese side decided to go more direct and it worked.
When Tan Ruyin sent a great ball forward from around the half way line, Wang Lisi made the run and was able to finish the move with a goal. The match ended 1-0 to China.
The result strengths China's chances of qualifying for the knockout stages, while the Netherlands will need to work on how best to counter possession football as they play Canada in their next match. The Group A currently looks like this:
- courtesy of BBC
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