China Loses to US 2-0 in the Algarve Cup Final

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, March 21, 2003

China Loses to US 2-0 in the Algarve Cup Final

The US women's soccer team beat China 2-0 on Thursday to win the Algarve Cup, with Sharon MacMillan and Mia Hamm scoring in a three-minute span during the second half.

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The US women's soccer team beat China 2-0 on Thursday to win the Algarve Cup, with Sharon MacMillan and Mia Hamm scoring in a three-minute span during the second half.

The victory in the 12-nation tournament is a big boost for the Americans leading to the World Cup in China in September.

"The players were totally tuned in to the team's tactics," U.S. coach April Heinrichs said. "We studied the Chinese carefully. We looked to sit back and then explode."

They did just that in the second half. Hamm ran into the Chinese penalty area in the 52nd minute but her shot was blocked by the goalie. MacMillan, the top U.S. scorer last year with 17 goals, pushed in the rebound.

Three minutes later, MacMillan made a strong run and passed to Hamm, who scored off the inside post.

Hamm, FIFA world player of the year in 2002 for the second straight year, said she was tired after four games in seven days.

"We managed to knock the spirit out of China and we found a better rhythm in the second half," she said.

Olympic champion Norway beat France 1-0 for third place. Sweden routed Finland 5-0 to finish fifth. Canada was seventh after stopping Greece 7-1. Denmark edged Portugal 1-0 and Ireland downed Wales 4-2 on penalty kicks after the game ended 2-2.

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