Friendly
international
Spain 3 - China 0
Spain: Casillas;
Puyol (Sergio Ramos 46'), Juanito, Pablo, Del Horno; Xavi (Valerón 46'),
Albelda (Orbaiz 46'); Joaquín (Luis García 55'), De la
Peña, Luque (Reyes 46'); Fernando Torres (Mista 46'). 4-2-3-1.
China: Li Yun Fei; Li Wei Feng, Du Wei (Zhang Yao Kun 56'), Zhang
Yong Hai (Sun Xiang 56'); Wei Xin, Shao Jia Yi (Shi Jun 90'), Xu Yun Long (Zuo
Yugen 27', Hu Zhaojun 64'), Ji Min Yi; Zhao Junzhe, Xu Yonglang; Li Yi (Zheng
Bin 83'). 3-4-2-1
Goals: 1-0. 03. Fernando
Torres (penalty). After Luque fouled going for Joaquín cross. 2-0.
31. Xavi. Free kick from edge of area which deflected in off head of defender.
3-0. 53. Joaquín. Picked up pass from De la Peña and ran on
to chip keeper.
Spain warmed up for their
World Cup qualifier against Serbia Montenegro with a comfortable 3-0 victory
over China on a rainy night in Salamanca. Except for the injured Raúl,
Luis Aragonés put out the starting line up which he is expected to use
on Wednesday night, De la Peña stepping in for the captain and Puyol
switching to right back in the absence of Michel Salgado. And with only three
minutes on the clock they took the lead when Fernando Torres converted a
penalty after Luque was held back in the area.
Albelda and De la
Peña both went close, but Li Wei Feng tested Casillas at the other end
with a header soon afterwards. Pablo thought he had scored a second when his
header from Xavi's corner was ruled out by the Portuguese referee for the
positional offside of Torres, but Xavi did make it two on the half hour mark
when his free kick was deflected in off the head off Shao Jia Yi, the Barcelona
midfielder's first goal for his country.
Luis Aragonés made
five of his six allowed changes at the break, giving a first cap to Mista and
the 18 year old Sergio Ramos, the youngest player to play for Spain in 64
years. The substitutions didn't change the flow of the game though, and eight
minutes after the restart Joaquín got a third goal for the hosts,
running on to De la Peña's pass to chip the keeper.
Aragonés used his
last change to give a first appearance to Liverpool winger Luis García,
who was to hit the bar later in the second half. Before that though China could
have pulled a goal back, Ho Zhaojun coming on to bring a good save out of
Casillas almost immediately, and Shao Jia Yi firing a lofted shot over the bar.
In the end though a good run out for "la selección", who now travel to
Belgrade for one of the most important matches of the season. |