Before the first group match China PR v Korea Republic: AFC/STANLEY CHOU

KUALA LUMPUR: China and Korea Republic will need to lift themselves one last time after the heartbreak of their semi-final defeats when they battle for third place in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship at MPPJ on Saturday.

The third-fourth play-off, to some degree, is even more important for these two teams than the final because the winners will earn the third Asian qualifying place for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.

With finalists DPR Korea and Japan already assured of their places, there is only one berth remaining.

Chinese coach Wang Hong, whose team were beaten 3-1 by Japan in the semi-finals on Wednesday, acknowledged the significance of the match.

“This is probably more important than the semi-final,” said Wang. “It is the last chance for either team to qualify for the world cup.”

“We are confident of doing well but we were very nervous in our loss to Japan. It is a case of lifting the players and making sure they are mentally strong enough to win.”

China started the tournament as one of the favourites for the title but they are now on the brink of going home empty-handed.

They beat Korea Republic 3-1 in their Group A encounter last week but both teams start on equal terms on Saturday.

“It doesn’t matter what happened last week,” said Wang. “All four semi-finalists are strong and the only thing we can do is try our best.”

The Koreans are hoping to bounce back from their 4-1 drubbing at the hands of rivals DPR Korea in the semis.

Korea Republic took the lead in the first half but once DPR equalised, there was no way back for the southerners.

Kim Yong-ho’s team have only won one match, 3-1 against Australia in Group A, but he is hoping his team can sign off on a high note.

“There is still a lot to play for,” said Kim. “We would have had two days to rest. Hopefully, we can work on improving our play and eliminate the mistake and qualify for the finals.”

Korea Republic finished fourth at the previous AFC U-16 tournament while two years ago China were runners-up.