China kept their hopes of qualification from Group B alive with a hard-fought win over South Africa. Banyana Banyana’s first finals appearance is unlikely to go further than the group stage after Li Ying’s first-half goal all but ended their chances of progression following their defeat to Spain in the opening match.

The game got off to a slow start, with play interrupted twice due to minor head injuries for Wang Yan of China and South Africa’s Kholosa Biyana. Thembi Kgatlana broke clear on the half-hour but poked her effort harmlessly wide, while at the other end Gu Yasha blazed over despite a slip from defender Janine Van Wyk allowing her plenty of room for a shot.

China, who were beaten by Germany in their opening game, took the lead five minutes before half-time when a superb ball over the top from Zhang Rui came off the knee of a stretching Ying and past the goalkeeper. They came agonisingly close to a second soon after when a Zhang header bounced down off the underside of the crossbar and on to the line.

Both sides struggled to create in the second half but China finished the game strongly. Their coach, Jia Xiuquan, said the victory “belongs to all the players – they deserve it. The battle has just begun and there will be tough games ahead, but I hope to laugh at the very last moment. The desire to win that these players show has impressed me the most over the past year. This has given me courage to lead them, and they have done a great job.”