CHENGDU, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Mexico scored a last-second touchdown to edge the United States 26-21 in the women's flag football final at Chengdu World Games here on Sunday as host China finished sixth.
At The World Games 2022, Mexico crushed the U.S. 39-6 in the final. Three years later, the two flag football powerhouses demonstrated remarkable defensive resilience, with both sides shutting down the opponents' first three drives.
The breakthrough came in the last minute of the first half, when Ashlea Klam put the U.S. on the scoresheet with a touchdown, while Mexico responded swiftly as Monica Rangel and Tania Rincon scored twice within 20 seconds to seize a 14-7 halftime lead.
In the second half, the U.S. rallied from behind to lead 21-20 with only 28 seconds remaining. However, Mexico's Victoria Chavez sealed the victory with the decisive touchdown before the final whistle.
Earlier on Sunday, Canada beat Austria 38-20 in the bronze medal game.
China lost to Britain 34-13 in the fifth-placed match, ending its debut international campaign with one victory and five losses.
"We made some unnecessary errors on the pitch. It's part of the process as these girls have only trained for three months," said the Chinese team head coach Guo Ruibin.
"Our players need to practice more to really understand the sport. Hopefully we can learn from this competition and grow step by step," he added. ■
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