Chi beat Maldives 4-0 to keep 2018 FIFA WC hopes alive

Wuhan, March 24: Chi rocked Maldives 4-0 with midfielder Jiang Ning’s hat-trick to keep their hope of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup alive at their penultimate match of Group C in the second round of Asian qualifiers here on Thursday.

Before the match, the home side was at the brink of elimition with an awkward three wins, two draws and one defeat to rank the third of the group, which forced the Chinese Football Association to use tive Gao Hongbo to replace Frenchman Alain Perrin as the head coach. After the victory, Chi now level Chinese Hong Kong on 14 points, but take the second place in the table by advantageous goal difference with one game to spare. Chi will play Qatar at home in Xi’an on March 29. IANS