China defeats New Caledonia 5-0 in U-20 Women’s World Cup opener

China defeated New Caledonia 5-0 in their opening Group F match at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. Despite the loss, the match marked a historic debut for New Caledonia, as it is the first time a women's national selection from the territory has participated in a World Cup.

New Caledonia's goalkeeper, Elizabeth Aben, provided a strong performance in the first half to keep the score level. However, China secured dominance in the second half, starting with a goal from Xiao Yafei just 23 seconds after the restart. Huang Jiaxin scored a hat-trick within 12 minutes, and Zhou Xinyi also found the net to complete the victory. Chen Ruilin contributed four assists for the Chinese side.

New Caledonia coach Leon Waitronyie expressed pride in his team's effort, noting that the players played with heart despite the gap in skill levels. The team's upcoming schedule includes matches against Spain and Nigeria.