A controversial goal from striker Bai Jie gave China a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in a World Cup warm-up game in Taian, Eastern China's Shangdong Province on Friday.
　　

Striker Bai Jie fights for the ball with Nigerian players in a World Cup warm-up game on Friday. Bai's controversial goal led to China's 1-0 victory. [Xinhua]

The goal came in the 65th minute when the 32-year-old Bai beat Nigeria's offside trap and scored the winner from a blank-point distance.
　　
The goal left Nigerian players furious and they protested that Bai had handled the ball before scoring. The play was halted for four minutes before being resumed.
　　
The head coach of Niegeria Sam Okpodu said his players'reactionover the goal was normal. "In a high level game, a goal can make big difference. My players did not want to lose the game because of such a goal. They gave up the play wanting to make sure if it is a handball," he said.
　　
The skipper of China Sun Wen, who squandered some chances in the game, said the waterlogged pitch affected her performance. "Itrained heavily before the game and the surface is rather slippery.It is rather difficult for me to make goals."
　　
Sun's view was echoed by China's head coach Ma Liangxing. He said,"The waterlogged pitch affected both teams' performance. I amvery happy that my team won this tough match. You can see my team is progressing and this will give us more confidence before the World Cup tournament kicks off."

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