Oct. 7 - China put the disappointment of their group games behind them as they thrashed South Africa 4-0 in a Women's Hockey World Cup playoff on Friday.

 

China, once tipped as hot favorites for the World Cup but only finished fifth in Group A, will play the winners between Germany and United States in the ninth-place playoff on Saturday.

 

The Chinese girls, who played a compact and pressure game, spent only 14 minutes to open the scoring through Ren Ye, and four minutes later, their captain Ma Yibo made it 2-0 from a penalty corner play.

 

Their third goal came in the 29th minute when Sun Zhen poked the ball past South African goalkeeper, and veteran striker Tang Chunling put the icing on the cake in the 70th minute with an adept shot.

 

Chinese coach Kim Chang-back, lugubrious throughout the group games, still put on a grim face after the game.

 

"South Africa's defense is not well-organized giving us a lot of space to score. I think that's the main reason why we produced so many goals, " he said.

 

"I am not satisfied with my players' performance, as they are still far from their best," he said.