China tames Mongolia 5-0 in first match of AFC U-23 qualifiers

China has taken the first step on a journey towards a possible 2016 Olympics berth, whitewashing Mongolia 5-0 in its first encounter at the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in Laos' capital on Friday.

China dominated possession throughout the match. Midfielder Wu Xinghan opened the scoring just two minutes into the game.

A foul by Mongolia's midfielder Oyunbaatar Otgonbayar on his Chinese counterpart Wang Rui in the 18th minute led to a penalty kick, but the attempt was denied by Mongolian keeper Balder Batmunkh.

Six minutes later, Xie Pengfei lifted China to 2-0 lead. A penalty goal in the 39th minute by Xu Xin saw China 3-0 lead at halftime.

After the interval, China applied pressure down the left side, leading to Wu Xinghan's second goal in the 60th minute.

In the 78th minute, Chen Hao, a substitute, sealed the win at 5-0 with a header.

Speaking after the match, China coach Fu Bo rated his team's performance at 60 percent, with room for improvement in Sunday's match against Singapore and Tuesday's against hosts Laos.

"I think our players got too relaxed," Fu said.

"We were not fresh enough in the hot weather, though our opponents also found it tough too.

"Fortunately we got our first goal early which relieved the pressure for the players," Fu said.

Mongolia coach D Batnasan acknowledged the Chinese efforts to minimise his team's opportunities in the hot weather here.

"During the match we had two or three chances, but weren't able to force more," he said.

Qualification from Group J could see at least one of the four teams heading to the AFC Championships to be held in Qatar in 2016.

Group winners and the best five runners up from each of the 10 groups will proceed.

The tournament finals also double as Olympic qualifiers, with the continent's top three teams to head to Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Enditem