We know what we have to do, says China PR's Zheng Zie

Abu Dhabi: Having won their opening match, the mood in the China PR squad is positive and captain Zheng Zie says the team are determined to seal their place in the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019.

China PR came from behind to defeat Kyrgyz Republic 2-1 in their opening Group C match on Monday and Zheng Zie, 38, said they are determined to get the job done against the Philippines on Friday.

"We were all aware of how important it was to win the opening match and as we expected, it was a tough contest. Thankfully, we were able to get the three points," said Zheng Zie.

The Philippines, the China PR veteran said, will also be a difficult team but the East Asians are confident of winning another three points.

"Three more points and we will qualify for the knockout stage. That is a huge source of motivation for the players, especially after we lifted our game in the second half against Kyrgyz Republic.

"The coach (Marcello Lippi) made some changes at half-time in our first match and our performance improved. We know now what we have to do to make sure we start on the same note against Philippines."

 


Group C - Matchday 1: China PR vs Kyrgyz Republic

Lippi's half-time pep during the first match was how important it was for his team to play with a solid rhythmn from the start.

"He told us that this is the AFC Asian Cup and there are not going to be any easy matches. He told us we had to play a high intensity game throughout and we know that if we do that against Philippines, we will get the three points."


Source: the-afc.com