Changsha: AFC Asian Cup 2015 quarter-finalists China were held to a surprise 2-2 draw by Haiti on Friday.
China, who impressed many observers during their run to the last eight in Australia, fell behind after 34 minutes when 34th minute when Jeff Louis took advantage of an error by goalkeeper Wang Dalei to score.
The hosts drew level shortly after half-time, Ji Xiang's right wing cross finding Yang Xu who converted with aplomb.
Haiti regained the lead on 73 minutes courtesy of Wilde Guerrier shot into the top corner, before substitute Yu Dabao found the back of the net for China with his first touch of the game following hesitancy in the Haiti defence.
China are scheduled to play Tunisia on March 31 in Nanjing.
China ties Haiti 2-2 in soccer friendly
China faced Haiti at home in the first of two exhibitions ahead of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and needed some late heroics to earn a 2-2 draw and overcome veteran goalkeeper Wang Dalei's rookie mistake.
Haiti's goalkeeper Johny Placide (R) saves the ball during the soccer friendly against China at the Changsha Helong Sport Center in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, March 27, 2015. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. (Xinhua/Bai Yu)
The home side looked to get on the board first, but was limited to shots from distance. The teams remained scoreless early on.
The 77th ranked Haitians took advantage of an opportunity in the first half. Goalie Wang Dalei's hesitation resulted in him being dispossessed of the ball by striker Jeff Louis, who scored easily.
Alain Perrin was clearly not happy with the first half performance of his team and substituted three players for the second half, including the goalkeeper.
The French coach's decision paid off soon after the re-start, as Yang Xu, one of the substitutes, equalized in the 58th minute, 1-1.
But soon Haiti went back in front after a superb pass found Wilde-Donald Guerrier behind the Chinese defense. 2-1 to the Concacaf side.
But Perrin still had a substitution to make, and brought on Yu Dabao on the pitch in 81st minute. And he saved the day: the first time Yu touched the ball, it went into the net, scoring off a flick from a corner. The game ended 2-2.
"We all know Wang Dalei is a player with a strong personality, we all saw his excellent performance at the Asian cup, his skills and experience is proof, it is acceptable to make mistakes in friendlies, its a good thing we see this now so we can prevent it from happening again, this will not affect his future, you will probably see him again in the next match. Also I think media like to put more focus on my substitution patterns, which saved the day, but I would say that all 23 players are very competitive on the pitch, so I can rely on all of them," said China head coach Alain Perrin.
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