China conceded two goals in the first half and lost 2-0 to Republic of Korea (ROK) in the quarterfinals of the men's football tournament at the Hangzhou Asian Games on October 1.
Chinese men’s football team (U23) (Photo provided by GDToday)
As the favorites, ROK broke the deadlock in the 18th minute, when Hong Hyun-seok curled a free kick over China goalkeeper Han Jiaqi into the top corner.
In the 35th minute, ROK doubled their lead as Song Min-kyu tapped home into an empty net thanks to good work from Cho Young-wook.
China almost pulled one back in first-half stoppage time, but Dai Weijun's close header hit the far post.
Dai Weijun, midfielder of Team China (Photo provided by GDToday)
ROK controled the second half but missed several scoring opportunities, while China couldn't muster a single shot on target.
“It is pity that my header was rejected by the post,” said Dai Weijun, footballer from the province of Guangdong. He told GDToday it would raise team’s morale, if Team China could score one in the first half.
Dai also expressed his gratitude to the audiences for their support and cheering from the warm-up section till the last minute of the match.
Audiences at the stadium (Photo provided by GDToday)
When reviewing the whole journey of the Asian Games, Dai indicated that the team had contributed its own style on the field, which is a good beginning for Chinese football. He believes that the performance can bring new hope for the fans of Chinese football.
Team China had achieved 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 lose at the 19th Asian Games. They have promoted to the second around of knock-out stage after 25 years.
Hong Kong, China defeated Iran with 1:0. They will face Japan in the semifinal.
Reporters: Steven Yuen, Alice Fung reported from Hangzhou
Editor: Wing Zhang
With input from Xinhua
