It was weaker than expected. The Chinese football team, focused on a generational change, collapsed in front of Hong Myung-bo's squad.
The South Korean national football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated China 3-0 in the opening match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup), held at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 7th.
This means that Korea, aiming for the championship, has made a pleasing start. The national team, having won a great victory, will clash with Hong Kong on the 11th and Japan on the 15th. All matches will be held in Yongin, and the final rankings will be determined based on the results of the three matches.
Hong Myung-bo's team, aiming for a perfect championship, is looking to lift the trophy for the first time since the Busan tournament in 2019, as the tournament is being held at home. Korea finished in second place after losing 0-3 to Japan in the 'Yokohama Disaster' at the tournament held three years ago.
Korea extended its history of 'public victory' by crushing China in the first match. The team now boasts a six-game winning streak against China. The overall record has also widened to 24 wins, 13 draws, and 2 losses.
On this day, Korea conducted a large-scale experiment. This tournament is the first official schedule for Hong Myung-bo's team ahead of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup held in North and Central America next summer. Korea secured its spot in the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time and 12th overall by finishing first in its group in the third round of Asian qualification last month.
For domestic players, this is a prime opportunity to nurture their World Cup dreams. The East Asian Cup is not held during the FIFA-sanctioned A-match period, making it impossible to call up European players, and Middle Eastern league players also decided not to join. For this reason, coach Hong Myung-bo assembled a final roster of 26 players, including 23 K League players (22 from the first division and 1 from the second division) and 3 players from Japan's J League.
"A war has begun under the guise of testing," declared coach Hong Myung-bo, not missing out on this valuable real test opportunity. He deployed a surprise three-back consisting of Kim Joo-sung, Park Jin-seop, and Park Seung-wook, and placed Kim Bong-soo, who has no A-match experience, in the midfield. Expectations were high from the starting lineup.
On the other hand, China was shocking in a different way. With World Cup qualification already out of reach and having temporarily handed the reins to coach Dejan Jurgjevic, they focused on scouting young players. Many veteran players were excluded, and among the starting 11, 6 were born in the 2000s. The 2006-born prospect, Kwai Jiyuan, and Wang Yidong were also chosen as starters.
Nevertheless, there was considerable anticipation within China. In particular, there was hope that 'young blood' Wang Yidong and Kwai Jiyuan could show a different side. Chinese media outlet 'Sohu' claimed, "Since both Korea and Japan lack European players, China's counterattack strategy, led by young energy, could prove effective."
However, the reality was cold. The Chinese national team, filled largely with rookies and plagued by injuries, could not compete with Korea, which was assembled with K League-level players. Even amidst tactical experimentation, Korea easily broke through China’s high press and dominated the midfield. China only accumulated meaningless possession.
Naturally, the match flowed one-sidedly. Korea opened the scoring with an early goal from Lee Dong-kyung in the 8th minute, followed by an additional goal from Joo Min-kyu and Kim Joo-sung's debut A-match goal in the second half, completing the 3-0 victory. Although their concentration waned in the second half, leading to a few crises, China’s attacks lacked sufficient sharpness.
Ultimately, Korea comfortably crushed China. While there were many positive aspects, it was uncertain if any significant meaning could be ascribed to this match. In fact, China did not record a single effective shot throughout the 90 minutes.
After the match, coach Hong Myung-bo stated, "We performed much better than prepared," and noted that this would be an opportunity for the players to grow. Coach Jurgjevic acknowledged the defeat, saying, "There were many injuries. On the other hand, Korea was a very strong team," and added, "Korea deserved to win."
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