First Chinese player in Champions League

EINDHOVEN - THE first Chinese player to appear in the Champions League is sure he will not be the last. Sun Xiang predicted that more of his countrymen will take part in Europe's top club tournament.

China's international defender played for PSV Eindhoven in their 1-0 win over Arsenal on Tuesday.

He joined the Dutch champions on loan last month from Shanghai Shenhua.

'I have just been luckier than the others. There are lots of Chinese players as strong as me,' he told Chinese Internet news service Sina.com.

'I am the first player but it is not about being first.

'The important thing for a player, from a relatively weak football playing nation, is to master what they need to know, to play at a higher level.'

'I haven't been here very long, but under these conditions, you have to shape up pretty fast.'

The 25-year-old left-back came on just after the hour mark as a substitute.

He said: 'I wasn't nervous. Every training session is like a match for us, so it was no different.

'The big challenge was figuring out how best to play a role in the game.'

Sun got high marks for his performance in the Chinese press, notably for his aggression, and for helping to close down Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE