Iceland too hot for hosts in inaugural China Cup
Last year’s Euro championship heroes prove too strong for the mainland with a 2-0 victory in Nanning in the four-team tournament
Iceland reached the final of the inaugural China Cup in Nanning, defeating the hosts 2-0 at the Guangxi Sports Centre on Tuesday night before a crowd of 23,876.
China, buoyed by the news that their country’s hopes of reaching the World Cup finals in 2026 were boosted by an expanded 48-team format, failed to find the net against last year’s European championship heroes. Iceland defeated England 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in footballing history in the last 16 in Nice.
Kjartan Finnbogason broke the deadlock in the 65th minute before 23-year-old striker Aron Sigurdarson doubled the tally a minute before time in cool weather conditions, which Iceland felt right at home in the southern Chinese autonomous region of Guangxi province.
China will play in the third-place play-off against either Chile or Croatia, who play in the other semi-final at the same venue on Wednesday night.
Iceland, meanwhile, progressed to Sunday’s final.