China claims maiden women's flag football win at Chengdu World Games

CHENGDU, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's women's flag football team secured its first-ever victory at The World Games 2025 on Saturday, staging a second-half comeback to defeat Japan 28-22 in the consolation semifinals.

Trailing 14-13 at halftime, the host nation surged in the second half with a 15-8 run to clinch the historic win in its international debut.

The victory marks a significant milestone for the newly formed China team, established only this year. After suffering a narrow two-point loss to world No. 4 Austria in the opener on Thursday, China fell to Canada and the United States in subsequent preliminary games.

"This win means everything. Every successful defensive stop made us excited," said China captain Feng Haolin. "This is our national team's first-ever victory. It's historic, and we'll remember this match decades from now."

The win advances China to Sunday's fifth-place game against Britain. Japan will face Italy for the seventh place.

Earlier on Saturday, China was eliminated from the quarterfinals after losing 40-0 to Mexico. Mexico later defeated Canada 25-13 to reach Sunday's gold medal game against the United States, who edged Austria 46-39 in the other semifinal. ■