SHAH ALAM, Malaysia, March 22 (Xinhua) -- China's U-22 football team defeated Laos 5-0 in their first match of the qualifiers for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship on Friday.

The match got off to a slow start under the tropical heat. Half an hour into the match, China was awarded a penalty and Yang Liyu made it 1-0.

China broke Laos' defense from the left side in the 42nd minute, and Chinese center Shan Huanhuan scored after his first shot was blocked. Yang liyu scored his second goal of the match with a strong header seconds before half time.

Yang missed a hat-trick in the second half when his header missed the goal. The match went in a relative slow pace with several Laos players including the goalkeeper suffered cramp or minor injuries.

As the match drawing to a close, the three Chinese substitutions - Lin Liangming, Cao Yongjing and Zhang Yuning created another two goals, ending the match 5-0.

"The team was still a little bit tight at the beginning," Yang said. "But after the penalty, we were more relax and our performance improved."

Laos coach V Sundramoorthy was disappointed that his team conceded the first goal in a penalty, saying his team was holding China well until then and the game plan was working well.

China will face the Philippines in the second match on Sunday.