EDMONTON — Christine Sinclair's controversial late penalty got host Canada off to a winning start at the Women's World Cup Saturday with a 1-0 victory over China, as the Netherlands beat New Zealand by the same scoreline. The Group A doubleheader in Edmonton kicked off four weeks of football across Canada and was preceded by an opening ceremony in front of a packed and passionate crowd of 53,038 at the Commonwealth Stadium. And the party atmosphere amid a sea of red and white flags was complete when 31-year-old Sinclair stepped up two minutes into added time to slot in a penalty awarded for a foul on substitute Adriana Leon by Zhao Rong in the box. It was Canada captain Sinclair's 154th goal in 224 internationals. “Only one woman in the world could step up like that in the 90th minute and write that script,” said Canada coach John Herdman. In the second game, Lieke Martens gave the Dutch newcomer its first World Cup goal that condemned New Zealand to a 10th defeat in as many games spanning three editions of the tournament. Martens' superb 33-minute strike from outside the area was her 21st goal for the “Oranje Leeuwinnen” (Orange Lionesses). Germany, Brazil qualify unbeaten Tournament heavyweights Germany and Brazil maintained their unbeaten records to qualify for the Round of 16 at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand as pool play ended Sunday. Nigeria and Uzbekistan also qualified as Groups E and F completed their matches while Hungary, which was beaten by Nigeria, still sneak through as one of the best third-placed sides. Germany and Brazil joined Portugal, which confirmed its qualification Saturday, as the only teams with a 100 percent win record after their opening three matches. European champion Germany knocked Honduras out of the tournament with a 5-1 result that ensured Senegal would go through as one of the best third-placed sides, ending a nerve-racking 24-hour wait for the West Africans. Uzbekistan booked its place in the next round when a 3-0 win over Fiji, coupled with the Honduran loss, saw them leap from bottom to second in Group F. North Korea, with nothing at stake after losing their first two games, put up a brave show for two-thirds of their match against Brazil. With a solid defensive wall they kept the game scoreless for 60 minutes, but it fell apart when Min Hyo Song scored an own goal when he deflected a long-range shot from Jaja into the net. Jean Carlos and Leo Pereira then added to the Brazilian tally as they completed the formalities. Nigeria set up a last-16 clash with Germany after two goals by Taiwo Awoniyi gave them a 2-0 win over Hungary to finish second in Group E. — Agencies
