SINGAPORE: China defeated Singapore 4-3 on penalties in a friendly on Wednesday after the regulation time ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Both teams are preparing for crucial 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in November when Singapore play Thailand while the East Asians clash with Lebanon.

A defensive lapse saw Radojko Avramovic’s side take the lead in the seventh minute when an unmarked Noh Alam Shah headed the ball past goalkeeper Yang Zhi.

China responded quickly with a barrage of attacks but Hao Jun and Qu Bo missed the targets while Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny pulled off brilliant saves.

Yang Hao restored parity for the visitors three minutes before the half hour mark.

Fazrul Nawaz and Aleksandar Duric missed the spotkicks in the shootout to hand over the win to China.

"In general I am satisfied with what they have done. We could do a little bit better in keeping possession but that's a general weakness and not much changed from before," said the Serbian.

"I think we missed opportunities to score a second goal in the second half. This would have put more pressure on China. We didn't succeed. So, it’s penalties in the end. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I am happy with their attitude and they tried their best. That was what I asked them to do."

China coach Gao Hongbo said: "This is only the third time we are together so my first priority is to laid down the foundations and tactics."

China will face Malaysia in another friendly on August 15.

Caption: Chinese players celebrate after beating Singapore in a friendly on Wednesday. Photo from sports.sohu.com