CHINESE SOCCER TEAM.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 171, 21 July 1924, Page 8

CHINESE SOCCER TEAM.

BEATEN IN WELLINGTON. FOUR GOALS TO NIL. (By Telegraph.—Freae Association.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. Two matches ivithin four days of their arrival was a fairly stiff proposition for the Chinese University Association football team. The Wellington eleven was the best that has represented the city for some years, and it was hardly expected that the visitors would achieve victory. Nevertheless they gave a pleasing display, their clever footwork and trapping of the ball drawing hearty applause. The Chinese, however, lack some of the characteristic features that have i made "Soccer" the English national game, due either to the way they have been , taught or the manner in which they have developed it. Their game is not sufficiently virile, and while their short tricky passing is pretty and the players are very speedy, their plaj lacks "pep." The Chinese have only been taking part [ in western sports and games for a little over a decade and have made "Soccer" their national game. They know it wonderfully well and try to observe the rules carefully, eepecially the bugbear of most players—the offside rule—which they interpret well and rarely break. Experts say if a New Zealand trainer took them in hand for a month, they would improve out of all knowledge and would give the Dominion players as good a game as they want. The council of the New Zealand Football Association has decided to send ' the best coach in Wellington with them ' for a month at least to get them fit, for their muscles are too hard. Lectures will form part of the programme, and by the first test in Auckland they should be a I new team. Some 15,000 spectators ; watched the game on Saturday. Wellington won the toss and China kicked off against the sun. They gave i the spectators a thrill right away, for , opening on the left wing they made a rapid descent on the Wellington goal, evading the right half and back, and Jap sent in a fine shot, only six inches on , the wrong side of the post. The home right wing replied with a sharp attack ( and Barton dropped a grand centre in front of the goal. Pao, the Chinese goalkeeper, went down on one knee, gathered the ball in quite professional Btyle and cleared. ' Wang, the Chinese centre-half, played . a great defence and was a good pivot for the team. He sent the forwards away many times. The quintet made clever passing runs, but failed in front of the goal, missing numerous opportunities of shooting at a dozen yards, and preferring to try and manoeuvre the ball into goal by short passing. This enabled the defence to get up and clear, or Ewing, the goalkeeper could dart in and take the ball from their feet. > The visitors, while speedy on the wing, trapped long passes admirably, headed 'the ball well, but never jumped as the New Zealand players often do when the ball is in the air, neither will they charge or tackle a man, relying on speed and footwork to gain possession. When they did secure the ball they frequently went through the defence, passing and running round the opponent with amazing speed and carrying the attack right into the goal mouth, only to lose it because they would not shoit when the chance offered. I Wellington scored just before the interval. Barton made a centre which hit the crossbar, and Lothian scored from the rebound. In the second spell the Wellington forwards gave a display of passing work that has seldom been surpassed, while the team's defence was hard to penetrate. Guest and McGirr were as firm as rock and two of the three halves were right up to form. Even so Wellington did not entirely dominate the play, for making good use of their clever ■ inside left and centre forward, Chang and Wu, Ewing was called upon for some smart clearances. Two saves were lucky. At the other end Pao gained distinction by saving a penalty for hands, and was loudly applauded when he tilted a hard slam from McElligott over the top. Wellington's second goal came through Lothian. The ball glanced off a Chinese player and Pao slipped as he went to I save. The third goal was a solo effort of I McElligott's, and gave Par no chance. ; Barton added the fourth. ' In the final stages Wu Chang and Jap made a brilliant run through, eluding the defence till the goal was reached, Ewing bringing off a splendid cave on the line. The final score was: — Wellington 4 China 0