Haiti coach expects "true test" against China in FIFA Women's World Cup

ADELAIDE, Australia, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Haiti head coach Nicolas Delepine says his team are ready to show their best form in their second group match against China at the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Tournament debutants Haiti fell 1-0 to reigning European champions England in their first group match. As Denmark and England temporarily lead Group D with three points, both China and Haiti need to win on Friday to keep their hopes of a last-16 berth alive.

Delepine told media on Thursday that his side are now ready for a true test.

"We really have tried to give it our 100 percent. We don't have the capacities that England or other big teams have, but we go full force and we see our team getting bigger and bigger year by year," he said.

"We need to be careful because China are a big team. They are within the top 15 in the world. We are happy to show the audience that we are capable to be here, but tomorrow's match against China will be a true test for us."

Despite ranking the lowest in the group, Haiti demonstrated their determination to fight for a last-16 berth, threatening England with swift counterattacks and clear opportunities in Brisbane last Saturday.

Delepine said they had received some compliments and congratulations for the quality of work that the players were able to put in.

"We don't want to be characterized just compared to our physical qualities, but we need to work on our technique and our tactics so we can deliver and get results, and we are very proud of that," he said.

"And the next day, when we're going to face China, if there's one message that we want to say, it is that the match facing England only counts if we face China the same way. We have to be credible."

The 44-year-old Frenchman said they had been observing China's games since February and found there were a lot of changes within the team.

The coaching group identified some China players who had already played against Haiti in the U-20 World Cup.

"Some of the players are really efficient. Some forwards have been identified because they've been really good and also one [Li Mengwen] in defense is playing at PSG. We know that she's really good," he said.

"We respect our opponents. We pay attention to all their accomplishments. We try to understand how they're going to start their game tomorrow. We know they're very strong, and once again, we want to be the best we can to face them."

The 2023 Women's World Cup, running from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand, will see the top two teams from each of the eight groups progress to the round of 16.