LONDON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China whitewashed Turkey 4-0 in the football 5-a-side at the London Paralympics here on Friday, topping the Group B after the first round as defending champions Brazil were held goalless tie by France.
The runners-up of the Beijing Paralympics, China dominated the game with two goals each before and after the interval. Paralympics' debutants Turkey showed their fighting spirit but created few scoring chance.
Deputy manager of the Chinese team, Lu Shangji told Xinhua after the match, "Despite the win, we still have problems in defense. The following games against Brazil and France will be very tough."
Brazil is the only country to have ever won football 5-a-side gold at Paralympics. They beat Argentina in Athens 2004 and China in Beijing 2008. Since its Paralympic debut at the Athens 2004 Games, football 5-a-side has expanded to 44 countries and regions on four continents. At London 2012, the tournament introduces the World Cup format, with two groups of four teams. Hosts Britain, Spain, Argentina and Iran are in Group A, while Brazil, France, China and Turkey are in Group B.
The pitch is surrounded with a rebound wall, and each squad is made up of four visually impaired outfield players and a fully or partially sighted goalkeeper. Each team is allowed one guide to call out instructions. To ensure fairness, all outfield players wear eyeshades. The ball has a bell inside.
During the China-Turkey match, a red helicopter flew over the Riverbank Stadium, making too much noise, which forced the game to be suspended for three minutes.
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