Bastia 4-2 Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain surrendered a two-goal lead
to lose 4-2 versus Bastia and miss the chance to
move level with Ligue 1 leaders Marseille.
Julian Palmieri's outstanding volley from the edge
of the penalty area – his first goal since
November 2012 – gave Bastia the lead for the
first time in the second half, before he added a
second in the final minute as they climbed out of
the bottom three.
The first-half goal flurry began early as Lucas
Moura and Adrien Rabiot both took advantage of
slack Bastia defending to put the visitors two
goals ahead.
Any hopes of a routine triumph were thwarted by
two lapses in concentration as Ryad Boudebouz
converted a penalty after Gregory van der Wiel
had handled, and Francois Modesto headed home
a late corner.
Palmieri's sensational 25-yard strike completed
an unlikely turnaround after 56 minutes, Nicolas
Douchez given no chance as the ball arrowed into
the top corner.
Thiago Silva had PSG's best chance to get back
into the game with 21 minutes remaining, but his
effort struck the crossbar and – after Palmieri
had extended Bastia's lead – Laurent Blanc's
side were left to reflect on a failure to capitalise
on Marseille's 2-1 loss at Montpellier on Friday.
PSG looked threatening from the kick-off and
were rewarded inside the opening 10 minutes as
Lucas broke the deadlock with a composed finish.
Yohan Cabaye played a superb long pass over the
top of Bastia's defence and Lucas held off the
challenge of Florian Marange before lifting the ball
over the onrushing Alphonse Areola.
Lucas should have doubled his tally three minutes
later having been released by Zlatan Ibrahimovic,
but he dragged his shot wide of Areola's goal.
PSG did not have to wait long for a second goal,
though, as Rabiot netted in the 20th minute.
The midfielder was the beneficiary of some
assiduous work from Blaise Matuidi and Maxwell
– one of three changes for the visitors – who
combined to steal possession and set up Rabiot
to fire home first time from 12 yards.
Despite their dominance PSG then gifted the
hosts a way back into the game after Van der
Wiel handled a right-wing cross, with Boudebouz
coolly slotting the spot-kick past Douchez.
And, on the brink of half-time, Bastia were level
as three PSG defenders failed to clear a corner,
allowing Modesto a free header from close range.
No doubt frustrated at throwing their lead
away, PSG came out in full attack mode in the
second half, with Ibrahimovic the first to test
Areola from a 20-yard free kick.
However, a stunning volley from Palmieri gave the
hosts the lead four minutes before the hour, the
28-year-old firing into the top corner after PSG
poorly cleared a left-wing corner.
To add to PSG's frustrations, they were denied an
equaliser after 69 minutes as Silva's half-volley
thundered against the crossbar from a right-wing
free kick.
Still Blanc's side pushed for a leveller, but it was
Bastia who got the final goal as Palmieri met
Abdoulaye Keita's cross to volley past Douchez
and give the Corsicans a memorable victory.

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Chelsea 2 - 0 Newcastle United

Chelsea had enough quality to beat Newcastle
United as goals from Oscar and Diego Costa
earned them a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
Having failed to claim victory in their previous two
Premier League outings, Jose Mourinho's title
hopefuls were not at their best on Saturday but
coped well with Newcastle's threat.
Ultimately, they struck at key times either side of
the break to go two points clear of Manchester
City at the top of the table, following the
champions' 1-1 draw with Everton.
The hosts were on the back foot for long spells of
the first half but led at the break when Oscar
converted Branislav Ivanovic's cross from close
range.
There was very little that fit-again Newcastle
goalkeeper Tim Krul could do about that strike on
his return from an ankle injury, and the Dutchman
was similarly helpless when Costa made it two
just before the hour mark.
John Carver once again led Newcastle following
Alan Pardew's recent departure, and any long-
term replacement in the dugout will likely take
positives from their performance, even after a fifth
straight Premier League away game without a
win.
Despite having endured a difficult few weeks with
Pardew's exit and the FA Cup defeat to Leicester
City, Newcastle started well, with Moussa
Sissoko's effort on target and Remy Cabella
looking lively early on.
Cabella was part of four changes from the 3-3
draw with Burnley last time out in the Premier
League and the Frenchman went close with a
curled effort 19 minutes in that deflected wide off
John Terry.
However, Chelsea offered a reminder of their
quality on the break, with Jack Colback required
to make a timely interception.
Oscar fired wide from inside the area when he
perhaps should have done better, although it was
Newcastle who continued to threaten – Cabella
cutting in from the right and forcing a smart save
from Petr Cech, preferred to Thibaut Courtois in
the Chelsea goal.
Sissoko struck the outside of Cech's left-hand
post after the half-hour mark, with Cesar
Azpilicueta's injury-enforced withdrawal
seemingly adding to Mourinho's frustrations
before the end of the half.
However, slack defending cost Newcastle dear
just before half-time as Willian found an
unmarked Ivanovic from a quick corner and the
Serb's delivery reached Oscar, who made no
mistake with the finish.
Costa should have doubled Chelsea's lead early in
the second half but he fired over from inside the
area, with the Spain international livid soon
afterwards as referee Roger East waved away his
penalty appeals following an apparent handball
from Fabricio Coloccini.
Mourinho's men were enjoying their best spell of
the game and Costa soon doubled the advantage
after 59 minutes by firing past Krul following a
clever flick-on from Oscar inside the area.
As Newcastle laboured in an attempt to get back
into the game, Costa was then denied a second
by Coloccini's clearance, but in the end
Mourinho's side claimed their first points of 2015
with relative ease.

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Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol

Gareth Bale and James Rodridguez both scored to help Real Madrid arrest a
worrying dip in form as they dispatched Espanyol 3-0 on Saturday.
Karim Benzema struck the post on 10 minutes but the home side didn't have to
wait long for an opener, as James converted Cristiano Ronaldo's pass.
The Ballon d'Or nominee then watched on as Bale doubled Real's lead with a fine
free-kick in the 28th minute.
But when Coentrao received a red card following a nasty collision with Jose Canas
shortly after half-time, Madrid were forced into an enforced reshuffle.
Thankfully for Carlo Ancelotti's men, Espanyol struggled to make the most of their
advantage and substitute Nacho Fernandez, added a third to move the leaders four
points clear of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, who meet on Sunday.
Espanyol started the contest brightly and created two chances inside the first three
minutes, Felipe Caicedo scuffing wide after a clever run and Sergio Garcia firing
straight at Iker Casillas from 20 yards.
Madrid soon clicked into gear, though, and Benzema went extremely close in the
10th minute, striking the post with a fierce half-volley.
The goal frame failed to save Espanyol a few moments later as the home side took
a deserved lead through James, who steered home after receiving Ronaldo's well-
placed cut-back.
The Champions League winners continued to dominate after taking the lead and,
although Raphael Varane headed a presentable chance wide in the 16th minute, a
second goal soon arrived.
Bale stepped up ahead of usual free-kick taker Ronaldo just before the half-hour
mark and sent an unstoppable effort in off the right-hand post from 30 yards,
leaving goalkeeper Kiko Casilla helpless.

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Swansea City 1 West Ham 1: Gomis helps earn point for hosts

Bafetimbi Gomis stepped up to the mark for
Swansea City as they earned a 1-1 Premier
League draw with West Ham on Saturday.
The French striker has been challenged to grasp
his first-team chance in the absence of Wilfried
Bony, who has departed for the Africa Cup of
Nations with Ivory Coast while rumours of an
imminent transfer to Manchester City persist.
And, after Andy Carroll had opened the scoring
with a superb left-footed strike two minutes
before half-time, Gomis was instrumental in
Swansea's equaliser.
Gomis rose highest from a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner
to head across goal in the 74th minute, with Mark
Noble inadvertently touching the ball into his own
net.
The former Lyon man Gomis produced a French
flag as he celebrated his leveller in an apparent
tribute to the victims of the recent terror attacks
in his homeland.
The result sees Swansea and West Ham remain
ninth and seventh respectively in the Premier
League.
Assistant manager Neil McDonald stood in for the
unwell Sam Allardyce in the West Ham dugout,
but the London club were sent to Swansea with a
new formation – starting with three across the
back, flanked by wide men Carl Jenkinson and
Aaron Cresswell.
Despite including three central defenders in their
starting XI, West Ham almost allowed Gomis to
weave his way through the middle of their
backline inside the opening five minutes.
The France international's eventual strike was
deflected into the path of Nathan Dyer on the
right, but Gomis was unable to get his head to a
dangerous cross from the winger.
Ashley Williams – making his 300th Swansea
appearance – appeared to haul Enner Valencia to
the ground in the build-up to a West Ham free-
kick, although the home captain escaped with a
talking to, before Gomis drew a routine save from
Adrian with a low drive from distance.
West Ham kept their hosts quiet in the opening
stages and had chances to break the deadlock
themselves inside half-an-hour – Jenkinson
blasting over, while Kevin Nolan narrowly cleared
the crossbar with a shot from the edge of the
box.
Wayne Routledge then sent Gomis clear as
Swansea went in search of an opener, but the
striker checked his run twice before showing too
much of the ball to James Tomkins.
Sigurdsson, who was uncharacteristically
anonymous for much of the first half, fired a tame
effort straight at Adrian in the 38th minute, before
Carroll broke the deadlock at the other end.
The towering striker picked the ball up in the box
and turned to face goal, before rifling a left-footed
effort into the corner from 18 yards, although the
visitors had a last-ditch Jenkinson challenge to
thank for denying Routledge an almost instant
reply.
Sigurdsson curled just wide from 25 yards within
30 seconds of the restart, but it was West Ham
who looked most likely to find the net.
Gomis squandered a golden opportunity shortly
before the hour when he blasted over following a
throughball from substitute Marvin Emnes, but he
atoned for that miss in the 74th minute.
Noble made a mess of his attempts to clear
Gomis' header off the line, diverting the ball into
the net to restore parity.
West Ham twice went close to snatching the
three points in the closing stages – Stewart
Downing drawing a great save from Lukasz
Fabianski, before Carroll fired wide after the
Polish goalkeeper had parried a Cresswell free-
kick – but Swansea held on for a share of the
spoils.

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West Brom 1-0 Hull City

Saido Berahino scored the only goal of the game
as West Brom beat Hull City 1-0 in Tony Pulis'
first Premier League game in charge at The
Hawthorns.
The future of in-form striker Berahino has been
the subject of much speculation and Albion's
leading scorer capped another lively display by
firing home a deflected free-kick from inside the
penalty area 13 minutes from time after Allan
McGregor had picked up Ahmed Elmohamady's
back-pass.
Berahino, who has been linked with the likes of
Tottenham and Liverpool, scored four times in a
7-0 rout of Gateshead in the FA Cup third round
last weekend and he was the stand-out player
once again at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Pulis has now won both games since replacing
Alan Irvine at the helm, but Albion were anything
but convincing in what was only their third home
victory of the season in the top flight.
Victory for the Midlands club moved them above
Hull into 14th in the table and was only their
second Premier League success in their last 11
games.
Hull offered very little going forward and the loss
of Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez to injury in
the first half will no doubt hasten Steve Bruce's
attempts to bring in at least one striker, with
Jermain Defoe and Yaya Sanogo mooted as
targets.
Pulis handed midfielder Claudio Yacob only his
second Premier League start of the season, while
record signing Brown Ideye was preferred to
Victor Anichebe in attack.
Jelavic recovered from illness to take his place in
a Hull side that showed eight changes from the
team which lost in the FA Cup at Arsenal last
weekend.
After an uneventful start to the game it was
Berahino who had the first opportunity when he
played a one-two with Stephane Sessegnon
before firing wide of the far post after 18 minutes.
Both sides looked devoid of ideas going forward
in a drab first half, but Berahino remained lively
and forced a save out of McGregor with a strike
from 20 yards out after taking a pass from Chris
Brunt.
Hull suffered a double blow when they lost Jelavic
and Hernandez to injury before half-time, with
Robbie Brady and Tom Ince replacing the strike
duo.
Brady wasted no time in making an impact as he
unleashed a left-foot strike from a tight angle
which Ben Foster tipped over the crossbar.
Ideye then had the best chance of the game 42
minutes in, when Berahino's perfectly weighted
first time pass sent the Nigeria striker clear but
he failed to hit the target with a tame finish.
The dangerous Berahino caused the Hull defence
more problems early in the second half when he
flashed the ball across the face of the goal but
there was nobody on hand to apply the finish.
Pulis was typically animated on the touchline as
the home side continued to look short of ideas
and Albion's fans grew increasingly frustrated.
Anichebe replaced the ineffective Ideye with 17
minutes remaining and moments later there was a
nervous moment for a poor defensive header
gifted Elmohamady with a chance to open the
scoring, but his shot was blocked.
The Egyptian was in the thick of the action again
as his needless back-pass was picked up by
McGregor and Berahino rifled home a free-kick
from around 10 yards which nicked off Jake
Livermore on its way in to give Albion three
precious points and take his impressive tally for
the season to 14 goals.

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Everton 1-1 Manchester City

Everton ended a run of four consecutive Premier
League defeats with a battling 1-1 draw against
title-chasing Manchester City.
Manuel Pellegrini's defending champions entered
the match level with Chelsea at the Premier
League summit and Fernandinho's 74th-minute
header appeared set to preserve that state of
affairs.
Yet Joe Hart, who had earlier made a pair of fine
saves from Romelu Lukaku, came needlessly from
his line and allowed Steven Naismith to convert
Leighton Baines' free-kick four minutes later.
City's slick passing game clicked instantly into
gear as they dominated for long periods of the
first half, although wasteful finishing from Stevan
Jovetic and Jesus Navas threatened to undermine
them before Everton full-back Seamus Coleman
clattered the crossbar from distance.
A more even second half followed and a buoyant
Goodison Park crowd was delighted to see
Naismith end a worrying slump for manager
Roberto Martinez.
John Stones made his first Everton start since
Boxing Day at centre-back with Antolin Alcaraz
(suspension) and Sylvain Distin (groin)
unavailable, while Aiden McGeady was preferred
to Kevin Mirallas.
Captain Vincent Kompany and top scorer Sergio
Aguero returned to the City bench following injury
lay-offs as Yaya Toure's Africa Cup of Nations
absence meant Fernando partnered Fernandinho
in midfield.
David Silva posed early problems in front of the
Everton defence and City's Spain playmaker
threaded a pass for Jovetic to blast over in the
ninth minute.
An error from Phil Jagielka gave Silva the chance
to craft a clearer opening but Navas side-footed
wastefully wide.
Everton spurned promising free-kick opportunities
as Lukaku and Baines drove into defensive walls,
but City remained on top in open play – Jovetic
twice off target from the edge of the area having
linked smoothly with Silva.
Pellegrini's team arguably over-played when
pinning Everton back under sustained pressure
and they almost paid two minutes before the
break.
Hart stood firm to deny Lukaku and Coleman
crashed a swerving left-footed strike against the
crossbar to conclude the attack.
Those near-misses spurred Everton on during the
opening exchanges of the second half, with
Lukaku's powerful forward play to the fore.
The Belgium international stormed beyond
Eliaquim Mangala in the 57th minute to draw a
second excellent stop from Hart.
With City lacking a similar presence in attack,
Pellegrini turned towards Aguero in favour of
Jovetic with 24 minutes remaining.
Jagielka had the ball in the net in the 69th minute
but Naismith was penalised for a foul on Hart,
while Aguero teed himself up to volley goalwards
at the other end.
Silva was predictably involved when City broke
the deadlock – Fernandinho heading past
Coleman on the line when his team-mate's
deflected shot looped in his direction –
yet their advantage was short-lived.
Baines arched in a fine free-kick from the left but
Hart's decision to come for the cross was rash
and Naismith nodded home, leaving City to
ponder a two-point deficit at the summit as they
prepare to host Arsenal next weekend.

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Leicester 1–0 Aston Villa

Leicester City had Paul Konchesky to thank for his fine strike during a 1-0 victory
against Aston Villa.
The 33-year old was on hand to drive home a half-volley on the stroke of half-
time to end a wait of over five years since his last top-flight strike and make it
three league games unbeaten for the hosts.
Leicester enjoyed the better of the first-half exchanges with David Nugent at the
centre of their best chances, the striker hitting the crossbar just before the opening
goal.
Matty James saw red late on for a dangerous challenge on Jores Okore, an incident
that also saw Villa's Ciaran Clark shown a second yellow for confronting the 23-
year old.
Villa again struggled in front of goal, drawing a blank for the 12th time this season
to leave Paul Lambert's side in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.
Meanwhile, Leicester - who remain bottom - have not tasted defeat in four games
in all competitions, their best run of form so far this season.
The recent upturn in results saw Leicester boss Nigel Pearson talk up the levels of
confidence among his players before this contest, and they began on the front foot
against an Aston Villa side that had previously found the net just once in their last
five Premier League games.
Nugent volleyed wide from Danny Simpson's diagonal cross after six minutes and
poked another effort off target following a darting breakaway run from former Villa
man Marc Albrighton down the left seven minutes later.
But there were still signs of defensive frailty from the hosts, who made four
alterations from the win over Newcastle United last week, as Gabriel Agbonlahor
burst through the middle before sending a 25-yard effort high and wide, snubbing
better options.
Nugent came close yet again after crashing a half-volley onto the crossbar four
minutes before half-time, but Konchesky finally broke the deadlock deep into first-
half stoppage time.

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Burnley 2-1 QPR

Burnley lept out of the drop zone after a hard-fought 2-1 win over QPR .
In a match between two candidates for relegation, it was Sean Dyche's men who
took all three points, as QPR remain pointless on their travels in the Premier
League this term.
Scott Arfield struck the first blow with a fine solo goal, only for former Burnley
striker Charlie Austin - who scored and was sent off in QPR's 2-0 win in the
reverse fixture in December - to level from the penalty spot.
Burnley led at the break, though, thanks to a calm finish from Danny Ings and that
proved enough.
The hosts saw Ings again go close after the break, while Ashley Barnes had a goal
disallowed to ensure nerves remained frayed throughout.
Victory lifts Burnley to 16th, while QPR drop into the bottom three.
Burnley named the same XI for the seventh Premier League match in a row, while
QPR recalled Adel Taarabt for the first time in almost exactly a year.
Blustery conditions at Turf Moor played a part in a tepid opening, but the match
came alive in the 13th minute thanks to a fine solo effort from Arfield .
The midfielder collected the ball on the left flank and he skipped past the
challenges of Eduardo Vargas and Richard Dunne before curling his shot into the
far corner.
QPR sought a response and the visitors were unlucky not to be level when Austin
scooped Mauricio Isla's cut-back from the byline onto the right-hand post.
However, Austin would not be denied in the 33rd minute when the striker won a
penalty after going to ground under a lazy challenge from Dean Marney.
The striker picked himself up to drill his effort into the bottom left-hand corner,
much to the chagrin of supporters who used to hold him in such high regard.
QPR's parity lasted just four minutes, though, as Ings restored Burnley's lead.
The forward showed expert control to collect Barnes' long ball before twisting past
two challenges and coolly slotting past Green.

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Crystal Palace 2-1 Tottenham

Crystal Palace fought back from a goal down to secure a 2-1 win over Tottenham .
In-form striker Harry Kane opened the scoring after 49 minutes, Tottenham at that
stage appearing well placed to build on their superb 5-3 triumph over Chelsea on
New Year's Day.
But this London derby did not have such a happy ending for Mauricio Pochettino's
team, as Dwight Gayle netted a 69th-minute penalty after Benjamin Stambouli had
rashly fouled Joe Ledley.
Pardew introduced Wilfried Zaha shortly afterwards – the
forward giving the Tottenham defence and Kyle Walker in
particular a torrid time before creating the winner for
Jason Puncheon.
A fervent Selhurst Park crowd was forced to endure six
minutes of stoppage time before celebrating a result that
lifts their team out of the relegation zone.
Pardew was without Yannick Bolasie and Mile Jedinak,
away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with DR Congo and at
the Asian Cup with Australia respectively, while he handed
Glenn Murray a maiden Premier League start of the season
in attack.

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South Korea 1 Oman 0: Cho´s strike decidestight contest

South Korea got their Asian Cup campaign off to the
perfect start with a hard fought 1-0 win over Oman in
Canberra on Saturday.
With main Group A rivals Australia securing all three
points from their opening game against Kuwait on
Friday, a win was vital for the South Koreans and they
got it thanks to a goal in first half stoppage time
from Cho Young-cheol.
Oman had several half chances throughout the
match but failed to capitalise, with only some heroic
goalkeeping from Ali Al Habsi and indecision in the
final third from South Korea keeping the scoreline at
1-0.
A scrappy opening period gave way to an
entertaining first half that was largely dominated
by Uli Stielike's South Koreans, with Oman playing on
the counter in front of 12,552 fans at Canberra
Stadium.
Cho Young-cheol had Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi
worried early with a low drive from the edge of the
area, and the Gulf side were lucky not to find
themselves behind a minute later when Son Heung-
min hit the bar with a delicate chip.
Oman began to grow into the game and it was not
long before they had a chance of their own, Jaber Al
Owaisi wasting a chance he should have taken when
he put a free header over the bar in the 12th minute.
A penalty appeal for Oman was contentiously ignored
after Kim Joo-young clattered into Qasim Said in the
15th minute and there were signs of stress appearing
across the South Korean backline.
An early injury to right-back Kim Chang-soo forced
Stielike into a change, with veteran Cha Du-ri
replacing him.

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Uzbekistan 1 North Korea 0: Solitary Sergeevstrike seals it

Igor Sergeev's sole goal was enough for Uzbekistan
as they began their Asian Cup campaign with a
scrappy 1-0 win over North Korea in Sydney.
Uzbekistan comfortably had the better of the game at
a rain-sodden ANZ Stadium, but struggled to
penetrate a resolute Korean defence for large parts.
Timur Kapadze was a menacing figure breaking from
midfield for the Uzbeks and hit the post with a first-
half header as well as going close after the interval.
Much of Korea's sights of goal came on the counter-
attack but they were routinely let down by the final
ball in ever-worsening conditions.
And the Uzbeks finally grabbed the goal they
deserved after the hour as Sergeev's powerful header
beat Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk.
The 21-year-old's fourth goal in his last five
competitive outings for Uzbekistan was ultimately
enough, though a better touch in front of goal will
likely be required in their following Group B games
against China and Saudi Arabia.
Uzbekistan dominated possession throughout and
Odil Ahmedov made his early intentions known with
a fizzing 25-yard drive that flew wide.
Mirjalol Qosimov's men found joy time and again
from their right flank, and one such charge resulted
in an accurate ball onto Kapadze's head, but the 112-
cap veteran's effort deflected off his covering
defender and onto the post.
The heavens opened after the half-hour with Korea
well regimented against a series of inventive Uzbek
set-pieces which came to nothing.
Uzbekistan picked up where they left off into the
second half as the rain intensified to make the pitch
tougher to play, Kapadze's flick from a driven free-
kick just looping over the crossbar.
The pressure began to build and Ri had to be alert
soon after to tip Sanzhar Tursunov's teasing delivery
from the right away with Ahmedov and Uzbek captain
Server Djeparov just unable to convert.
And the pressure told in the 61st minute as Djeparov
lofted an inviting ball into the path of an onrushing
Sergeev, who met the ball firmly to send it back
across goal, beyond Ri and into the corner.
North Korea were cautious in their attempts to get
back into the contest with regular long balls up to
lone frontman Pak Song-choi often failing to stick.

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Saudi Arabia 0 China 1: Yu Hai punishes Hazazimissed penalty

Yu Hai punished Naif Hazazi's saved penalty, firing
China to a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Asian
Cup at Suncorp Stadium.
Yu struck in the final 10 minutes with a deflected free-
kick to give Alain Perrin's side a memorable win.
China dominated the opening half but were unable to
take the few chances they created, and they looked
like being punished on the hour when Saudi Arabia
were awarded a spot kick.
However, Hazazi – who was fouled by Ren Hang – saw
a weak effort from 12 yards that was saved by Wang
Dalei.
And the striker was left to rue that mistake as
Yu grabbed all three points in the opening round of
fixtures in Group B.
A positive start from Saudi Arabia saw them threaten
the China defence in the opening 10 minutes,
however the three-time winners were unable to test
goalkeeper Wang.
Having survived the early pressure China grew into
the game and had the better of the half with Yu and Ji
Xiang leading the charge – the former unable to
convert a Zhang Chengdong cross.
Zhang was then presented with a chance of his own
three minutes after the half-hour, the 25-year-old
receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area only
for a superb block from the Saudi defence.
As half-time approached, China continued to threaten
and Wu Xi went agonisingly close to breaking the
deadlock.
The midfielder broke from the halfway line having
collected a pass from Hao Junmin, before beating
one defender and – while holding off two more Saudi
challenges – firing a low effort just wide of the left-
hand post.
Neither side look like opening the scoring in a
scrappy start ot he second half, however that all
changed on the hour following a swift Saudi counter-
attack.
Hazazi was released in behind the China defence
after his side had soaked up some pressure, the
striker made good ground into the penalty area
before being crudely scythed down by Ren.
The 26-year-old stepped up to take the spot kick
himself, but his run-up was too casual and a weak
attempt was easily saved by Wang to his left.
Saudi Arabia were punished in the 80th minute as
Yu's free-kick found the net, deflecting off the
defensive wall to take it out of goalkeeper Waleed
Abdullah's reach.

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