DALIAN, China, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China continued their winning streak in their AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a 9-0 thrashing of the Maldives in Group C here on Friday, with captain Yang Qiandong notching a hat-trick.
Having beaten Bahrain and Bhutan and received a second round bye, China made several tactical changes ahead of Friday's match.
The match was almost one-way traffic with China having nearly 80 percent of possession, as Yang's double put the home side firmly in charge of the first half.
Wen Zhanlin made it 3-0 seconds after the break, and Zhang Chengrui, Buniyaming Abudoushalamu and Yang added another three goals in just three minutes.
China continued to press as Wei Xiangxin came off the bench to bag a brace, before fellow substitute Bian Yulang put the icing on the cake in the 86th minute.
A total of 43 teams were divided into ten groups to play the U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers, and the group winners, along with the best five second-placed teams, will join hosts Saudi Arabia for the finals from April 3 to 20, 2025.
China will meet South Korea in the fifth matchday on Sunday. ■
