Football from here in China where the men's national side hosted Kazakhstan at the home of Hebei Fortune as the Red and Yellow get some game time in ahead of the final round of Asian zone World Cup qualifying. Gao Hongbo's side received a confidence boost from a 4-2 victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Friday and entered this contest looking for their fourth straight win.
Four minutes in, Li Xuepeng breaks free down the left flank and his cross finds Wu Xida but the Jiangsu Suning man can only fire his shot well over the cross bar.
Nine minutes later Rong Hao slips feeds the in-form Wu Lei but he is denied thanks to some last ditch defending from the Kazakhs.
Not long later, the visitors go close themselves. The route one approach ends with Sergey Khizh-nichenko forcing a good save from PRC shot stopper Wang Dalei. Great flick on from Tanat Nusser-bayev but the forward can't find the net and it remains nil nil.
Kazahstan would then enjoy a period of pressure. 31 minutes have passed when Ulan Konysbayev is picked out in the area but Wang is stands up to his fierce shot.
In first half injury time visiting defender Nusserbayev suffers a horrific ankle break when he lands awkwardly under pressure from Ren Hang. He is immediately stretchered off and rushed to the hospital.
In the second half, coach Gao introduces strikers Zhang Yuning and Huang Bowen to the game to add more to China's attack. The next 45 is a more fiesty encounter and on the hour mark Kazahstan midfielder Yuriy Logvi-nenko finds himself in the referee's notebook for this reckless challenge on Wu.
Despite China's second half pressure the away team take the lead. With 22 minutes remaining they break the deadlock in the 68th minute with a long pass and Azat Nurgaliyev's header finds the net.
In the 75th minute, Huang has a free kick that he blasts off the woodwork and Yu Hanchao follow up would be headed away.
Seven minutes later, Yekdos Akhmetov brings down Yu Hanchao and is sent off with his second yellow card.
China has a final chance in injury time, but Zhang's header is off the mark and the match ends in a 1-0 victory for Kazakhstan, Gao Hongbo's first defeat since taking charge for the second time.
