China PR got the victory they needed to leapfrog Denmark and claim second place in the Group D standings but they did not have it easy against a stubborn New Zealand side in Tianjin.
Li Jie finally made their pressure tell with a headed opener
shortly before the hour and Xie Caixia's fine individual strike
in the closing stages secured the three points for the tournament
hosts, who can now look forward to a quarter-final date with Norway
in Wuhan on Sunday.
For New Zealand, meanwhile, this third defeat meant they
finished their China 2007 campaign with neither a point nor a goal
to their name.
China made their intentions clear in the very first minute when
Zhang Ouying forced the first save of note from Kiwi goalkeeper
Jenny Bindon, who turned her low shot around the post. Both China
forwards then threatened, Han Duan flashing a shot into the
side-netting from a narrow angle before Ma Xiaoxu tricked her way
between two white shirts only to be denied by Bindon's
near-post stop.
The breakthrough finally came 12 minutes into the second half
when Zhou Gaoping sent a long free-kick into the penalty box and Li
rose above a crowd of players to head into the net. The China No3
breathed a huge sigh of relief after 65 minutes when her mistake
gave Zoe Thompson a clear run on goal but with just the keeper to
beat, the New Zealand substitute shot wide.
China pushed for a second and after Bindon had tipped over Han's header and Ma's drive struck the crossbar, Xie made it two with a low finish after cutting in from the right.
Player of the Match: Xie Caixia (CHN)
