Even the Chinese see their national team as embarrassed.
The South Korean national football team, led by head 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.
Korea achieved a splendid victory in their first home match thanks to consecutive goals from Lee Dong-gyeong, Joo Min-kyu, and Kim Joo-sung. The domestic players showed excellent performance in the absence of those from Europe.
Lee Dong-gyeong scored a wonder goal. In the 8th minute of the first half, Lee Dong-gyeong broke free from a defender with a good touch near the right side of the box and curled the ball with his left foot. The ball traveled in a fantastic trajectory, passing the Chinese goalkeeper and hitting the back of the net.
China retaliated with kung fu football. In the 34th minute of the first half, Gao Tienyi stepped on Lee Dong-gyeong's foot near the sideline, receiving a warning. It was an excessive foul born out of their inferior skills.
From the perspective of the Chinese media, the level of their national team was at a level that could not be shielded. "Sohu.com" remarked, "Although it was head coach Dejan Jurić's debut match, it was an embarrassing and ugly game. China's performance was terrible. They showed no courage to regain the ball against Korea's breakthroughs. They feared passing and dared not attempt a breakthrough."
Expectations that things would change with the arrival of a new head coach crumbled. "Sohu.com" stated, "The coach's tactics were not properly executed. Since the players feared the ball, there could be no tactics. Jurić received the worst result in his first match. He couldn't control the players' thinking," placing blame on the coach.
China's ambition to defeat Korea, who is missing Son Heung-min in the East Asian Cup, was nothing more than a delusion. China is expected to do their best to avoid a complete loss against Hong Kong.
[OSEN]