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London 2012 Paralympic GamesZheng stars for China31 August 2012China confirmed their status as one of the 5-a-side Football tournament favourites with a 4-0 win over Turkey on Day 2 of the Paralympic Games.
Two goals from Zheng Wenfa, a penalty from captain Li Xiaoqiang and a goal for Wang Yafeng were enough to earn China a convincing win over their opponents, who were making their Paralympic debut.
'It was our first match of the tournament and we think our opponents, Turkey, were quite strong,' said Zheng. 'We wanted to deliver a very good game and because our opponents were very strong we knew we had to play well.'
Pool B's other match was a clash between footballing heavyweights France and Brazil, but neither side was able to break the deadlock as the encounter ended 0-0.
Defending Paralympic champions Brazil had to produce a strong defensive display to hold off the threat of their opponents, for whom captain Frederic Villeroux was a key figure.
Silvio Velo will be enjoying the adulation of his team-mates after firing Argentina to a 2-0 victory over Iran in their opening Pool A match.
After the first half ended goalless, the 41-year-old showed his class after the break to score a dream double and send his team to the top of the group.
'Those two goals were very important,' he said. 'They won us the match so obviously I am really happy.
'Yes we are in a great position and we are really happy with that, but there is still a long way to go. It's great to start well and really important to win and gain confidence, but we know there is a lot more work to be done before we get to the final.'
In the day’s final match, Great Britain earned themselves a 1-1 draw with Spain.
After seeing Spain's Antonio Martin Gaitan convert a 20th-minute penalty, David Clarke levelled the scores two minutes later.
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London 2012 Paralympic GamesBrazil too strong for TurkeyBrazil overcame Turkey 4-0 in today's opening 5-a-side Football match at the Riverbank Arena.
02 September 2012Jeferson Goncalves, who scored a brace, said afterwards: 'We came out with great confidence, especially after the first goal came very naturally.
'This really opened us up at the beginning, we were happy and comfortable for the rest of the game. The success is very important for our classification.
'We scored the goals at the right time. Today we played with three attackers as we knew it was very necessary to win this game, it was very important. Our first objective was victory today.'
Brazil's next opponents will be China on Tuesday.
Brazilian coach Ramon Pereira de Souza added: 'The next game will be very difficult. China were in the final in Beijing (2008), we will need to be very prepared.'
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London 2012 Paralympic GamesSpain boosted by Gaitan brace02 September 2012Spain maintained their unbeaten start to the 5-a-side Football competition as Antonio Martin Gaitan took his tally at the Paralympic Games to three to help his side see off Iran 2-0 in Group A.
Gaitan, who netted a penalty in his side's opening 1-1 draw with Great Britain, scored both goals at the Riverbank Arena to put Spain within touching distance of the semi-finals.
The midfielder's double came in the first half and saw him cut in from the left each time against an Iran side who went on to dominate most of the second half but could not find a goal and as a result cannot now progress to the knockout stages.
'We are very happy to have won. Obviously those three points were very important to us. Now we can be a bit calmer about the next stage,' said Gaitan.
'It's obviously great to score goals and I'm really happy to have scored them, but the main thing is that Spain does well. We just want to win the gold medal.'
Spain will progress if they win their last group game against Argentina, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Great Britain. The South Americans had the better of the chances in the match and David Peralta almost scored the goal that would have put Argentina through to the semi-finals with five minutes left but struck wide when well placed.
Britain must win their final group match against Iran on Tuesday to have a chance of going through, while Argentina know a win against Spain will guarantee them progress - although a draw in this match could mean goal difference is needed to decide the top two places.
In Group B, Brazil turned on the style as they beat Turkey 4-0. Jeferson Goncalves, who scored twice, and Ricardo Alves, who scored once, were in impressive form and the Turkish defence could not handle them or Brazil's passing game.
Severino da Silva scored the other goal from a penalty, although Brazil's tally could have been much higher had they not missed four other penalties.
Defending champions Brazil now face China looking to secure their semi-final place, and coach Ramon Pereira de Souza said: 'We expected to score more than four goals, missing the penalties was not expected. China has four goals, this is why we had three attackers, in preparation to score many goals.'
The Chinese, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with France, who have recorded goalless draws in both of their games.
In what is another tight group, a French win over Turkey would see them go through if there is a winner in the Brazil versus China match - although if the match finishes level then all three teams could finish on five points and it would come down to goal difference.
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London 2012 Paralympic GamesGoncalves strike seals Brazil's semi-final spot04 September 2012Defending champions Brazil booked their place in the semi-final of the 5-a-side competition as a goal from Jeferson Goncalves secured a 1-0 win over China in Group B.
The Brazilians showed their class to dominate throughout, with Goncalves producing a superb finish after 22 minutes as he jinked past his marker and fired into the corner to settle the issue.
The result kept up Brazil's proud record at the Paralympic Games, where they have never lost a match.
China, the silver medallists at Beijing 2008, were disappointing and did not get a shot on target until the 48th minute as they struggled to match the title holders.
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London 2012 Paralympic GamesSemi-finalists Brazil keep win record04 September 2012Brazil maintained their record of never having lost a match at the Paralympic Games in 5-a-side Football as they secured their place in the semi-finals with victory over China.
In what would prove to be a winner-takes-all encounter - with France beating Turkey in the match that followed - a first-half goal from Jeferson Goncalves was enough to give the defending champions a 1-0 win over the Chinese to finish top of Group B.
The South Americans dominated throughout at the Riverbank Arena, in a game that was a repeat of the final at the Beijing 2008 Games, but had to endure a tense final 10 minutes after they failed to add to Goncalves’ goal.
Brazil scored what would prove to be the winner on 22 minutes when Goncalves found space and sent a spectacular right-foot shot into the corner to spark jubilation on the Brazilian bench and a forward somersault celebration from team-mate Gabriel da Silva that brought cheers from the crowd.
There were a series of chances for China in the first half, including a first shot on target with two minutes left that was well saved by goalkeeper Fabio Luiz Ribeiro de Vasconcelos.
After his side’s win, Brazil coach Ramon Pereira de Souza said: ‘I have no words. My happiness is shaped on all the faces of the players and coaches in the team. It was a difficult game, facing China is not like facing any other team. China has spectacular players.’
China’s loss proved costly as France beat Turkey 1-0 in the next game to clinch second spot in Group B.
David Labarre’s fourth-minute penalty was the only goal of the game as the French rode their luck against a Turkish side who went into the game without a point, but who deserved to claim something from the match.
France, who will now face Spain in the semi-finals, have yet to concede a goal in the tournament and coach Toussaint Akpweh said: ‘I'm satisfied to have reached the semi-finals, and I'm extremely proud, as any coach would be. I've seen a lot of good stuff from the players, and no team has yet managed to score against us.’
In Group A, the Spanish knew a draw against Argentina would be enough to progress into the semi-finals and managed to withstand sustained pressure from their opponents in a 0-0 draw.
Spain were indebted to goalkeeper Alvaro Gonzalez Alcaraz, who made some fine saves and kept out a penalty from Luis Sacayan, while Argentina captain Silvio Velo also struck a spot-kick wide.
Spain’s Alfredo Cuadrado Freire said: ‘If we reach the final it will be the biggest thing in the world. I will be so happy, excited, overwhelmed and overjoyed, if I got to the final.’
Argentina had to nervously wait on the outcome of the Great Britain versus Iran match to see if they were going to join Spain in the semi-finals.
In the end, Iran registered their first win of the competition to end the Host Nation’s hopes of going through. It means Argentina now face Brazil in an all-South American semi-final.
Ahmadreza Shah Hosseini Ardekani’s 21st-minute penalty was the only goal of the game, while the British team missed a series of spot-kicks in the match.
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