China drew 1-1 with Canada in a thrilling Group E match of the Olympic women's soccer here on Saturday.

Captain Christine Sinclair put Canada ahead in the 34th minute when she shot home a low drive after beating China's offside trap and cut into the box.

China equalized only two minutes later. Striker Xu Yuan beat the diving goalkeeper Erin McLeod before steering the ball into the empty net easily.

"It is a great feeling to score my second goal of the tourment," Xu said. "The Canadians are physically stronger than us. They played better than us."

"Canada is a tough opponent," China head coach Shang Rihua said. "I am so happy we equalized so quickly. A 1-1 draw is acceptable to both sides."

"Our players played well in the first 20 minutes and last ten, but there are some problems on midfield in the mid-time," Shang said. "Canada did very well on team defense, and I think we still need to improve our defense."

Sinclair, the all-time top scorer of Canada, showed her confidence on her team's future. "With the way we have played, we have great chance to do very well next tournament," she said.

However, substitute midfielder Jodi-Ann Robinson was unhappy with the result. "We are never satisfied with a draw. We want to win. It's not as bad as a loss. So we look forward to the next game," she said.

Before this match, China beat the European powerhouse Sweden 2-1 in the opener while Canada defeated Argentina 2-1. Each side was eager for another three points to ensure itself a place in last eight.

Ace forward Han Duan missed the match as she injured her leg in the opener, and the 17-year-old Lou Jiahui replaced Han to form striking dual with Xu Yuan.

The dripping humidity and heat did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the local crowd on Saturday night. Armed with inflatable cheer sticks and whistles, the crowd of 53,000 cheered wildly from the moment the teams emerged from the dressing rooms.

However, the Canadians had no complaints on the heat and humidity. Sinclair said: "We've been here for a while in Asia. We were in Singapore before now. I think we are as used to it as we're going to get. None of us can complain."

China sought to impose their short passing game while Canada looked to exploit their aerial strength with a series of high balls and long throws aimed at top scorer Christine Sinclair, who had 93 goals in 123 international games.

After a fairly even start, the Chinese produced the first scoring chance in the ninth minute when midfielder Pu Wei shot over from long range in a counterattack.

Sinclair responded with a powerful shot at the edge of the box in the 15th minute but the ball was collected by goalkeeper Zhang Yanru with an excellent save.

With temperatures about 33 degrees centigrade, cheers of "Go China!" and clapping resounded every time the Chinese brought the ball past midfield.

The North Americans almost made it 2-0 in the 37th minute when midfielder Rhian Wilkinson's long shot was blocked by the crossbar after being tipped by Zhang Yanru.

The left post helped the Chinese in the 59th minute when it stopped forward Kara Lang's powerful shot in the box.

"We had a lot of good opportunities. Maybe it's just a matter of not being able to capitalise on those chances," Long said. "We played very well from the back to the front. We played together and managed to stay connected."

"We are so lucky that the posts helped us twice," Xu said. China came back in the last 20 minutes. In the 79th minute, Xu's header was stopped by the crossbar after midfielder Bi Yan curled a free kick from right wing.

In the 87th minute, Canada defender Emily Zurrer tackled down Lou Jiahui and was booked. Lou was then substituted by striker Liu Sa, who fired a long shot in injury time, which was narrowly wide of the post.

In next round of Group E, China will take on Argentina in the final group match on Aug. 12 while Canada will play against Sweden on the same day.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2008)