China coach in upbeat mood ahead of South Africa match

PARIS - China's head coach Jia Xiuquan keeps confident in his players though heading into their second match in the FIFA Women's World Cup with zero point and a goal against in Group B.

The 1999 runners-up, who lost to world No. 2 Germany 1-0 last Saturday, face crucial tie with debutants South Africa here on Thursday as they try to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.

"My players created some chances against Germany, showing that we've made certain progress through the preparations for this World Cup," Jia told a pre-match press conference at Parc des Princes.

"But we eventually failed to turn any of the opportunities into scoring, again confirming that Germany are a better team than us."

A total of 24 teams are divided into six groups, and top two finishers from each group plus four best third-placed advances to the knockout stage.