Philippines thrashing gives China momentum before crunch World Cup

China thumped the Philippines 8-1 in a friendly contest in Guangzhou on Wednesday.

The contest was held ahead of the Chinese team's decisive World Cup qualifier against Syria on Tuesday, with coach Marcello Lippi looking to narrow down his selection for that match. But the World Cup-winning Italian may have some headaches in choosing, as seven of his players found the net in this game.

Lippi dropped several key players and fielded a new-look lineup. The hosts broke the deadlock in just the third minute Yin Hongbo's cornet set Ren Hang up for a header. China doubled the lead on 25 minutes as Yin set up another, chipping a cross for Xiao Zhi to head into the left corner.

The Philippines pulled a goal back only for China to restore their two-goal lead on 43 minutes as Wang Yongpo delivered a low pass for Yu Hanchao to score with a shot.

China opened the second half strong as Wang and Yin scored in a three-minute span, before Zhang Xizhe joined the list of scorers. Deng Hanwen then scored twice from almost identical positions to wrap up the game at 8-1.

(CGTN)