China, having been slapped by Korea and Japan, took out its anger on Hong Kong.
The Chinese men's national football team, led by Dejan Djurdjevic, won 1-0 against Hong Kong in the third round of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held at Yongin Mir Stadium at 4 p.m. on the 15th. After losing to Korea (0-3) and Japan (0-2), China recorded its first victory, finishing the tournament with 1 win and 2 losses, coming in 3rd place. Hong Kong finished last with 3 losses.
China had many better chances throughout the match, but its goal-scoring ability was atrocious. Frustrating attacks continued where they couldn't score even when given the opportunity. To make matters worse, China also displayed kung fu football, losing in manners.
In the 5th minute of the first half, Wang Yudong made a sharp left-footed shot but missed the goal. Zhang Yuning had a decisive opportunity in the 8th minute, but his shot hit the side netting. It was a good situation where it was more difficult to not score.
Continually knocking on the door, China scored its first goal in the 20th minute of the first half. Huang Zhengwei, who exchanged passes with Zhang Yuning, scored with a diagonal shot using his right foot. China was excited to have scored its first goal in just three matches of the tournament.
The previously quiet kung fu football from China resurfaced. In the 29th minute of the first half, Hong Kong's No. 21, Yu Jinhong, was injured on the head while contesting for a ball in the air with a Chinese player. Yu returned to the match. However, in the 42nd minute of the first half, Yu collided with a Chinese player and injured his left ankle, causing him to be excluded from the match. Yu was substituted out.
Huang Zhengwei, who scored his first international goal, also received a yellow card for rough play during stoppage time in the first half. China certainly dominated the match, but its skills were disappointing. China led the first half 1-0.
China was actually outperformed by Hong Kong in possession during the first half, managing only 49%. It led in the number of shots, 9-3, but scored only one goal. China also committed more fouls.
In the second half, an incident finally occurred. Frustrated by China's continuous fouls, a Hong Kong player also responded violently. In the 10th minute of the second half, a Hong Kong player hit a Chinese player in the face. An angry Zhang Yuning retaliated by tripping the Hong Kong player. The excited players from both teams tangled, leading to a collective brawl.
Referees intervened and barely managed to calm both teams down to resume the match. China failed to score additional goals despite continued chances and ultimately had to be satisfied with a 1-0 victory. The number of decisive goal opportunities missed by China amounted to 4-5.
[OSEN]