China usually takes its time before playing well at the Women's World Cup. A slim 1-0 win in its first Group D match against Ghana may attest to that, but a further three points on Thursday against Australia could be enough to get the 1999 runner-up through to the quarterfinals.

"From a psychological point of view the first match is always the hardest and it was evident that my players were excited and nervous especially in the second half," China coach Ma Liangxing said. "I am confident that our next matches will be much more entertaining as the players can approach these with a much more relaxed attitude."

Even Sun Wen, the tournament's top player four years ago the 2000 FIFA Player of the Year, thought her team underachieved.

"We didn't play our best today, I think we were all a little nervous," Sun admitted Sunday. "We're in for a hard time if we continue playing like this."

Australia will be the first to find out.

"Obviously, it is a very important game for us. We need to win. We are going to take the game seriously," said Australia defender Kelly Golebiowski, who scored the lone goal for the Aussies.

"Just because it is China, doesn't mean that it is any different then any other game. Obviously it puts pressure on us, but it's just another game," she added.

In their opening match, the Aussies lost to Russia 2-1, handing their opponents an own-goal and then allowing the game-winner in the 89th minute.

"We played with a lot of heart and dominated possession but they sat back and absorbed it and then hit us on the break," Australia coach Adrian Santrac said.

In the other group match, Russia will looking to get another three points against Ghana, which is just hoping to stay alive after playing tough against China.

"I expect that our attackers have the necessary qualities to open up the defenses of Russia and Australia, which should allow us to create more goal-scoring opportunities," Ghana coach Oko Aryee said.

The Russians are playing in just their second Women's World Cup, and a win may be enough to get them through the quarterfinals for the second straight time.

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