Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Wuhan: China thrust themselves back into contention for the 2015 EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) East Asian Cup after the tournament hosts downed DPR Korea 2-0 on Wednesday in their penultimate fixture in the four-team regional competition.
Looking to bounce back from their opening round loss to Korea Republic, China took a 36th minute lead through Yu Dabao, who controlled Sun Ke’s cutback on his chest before prodding the ball past North Korean keeper and captain Ri Myong-guk following Rao Wei Hui’s deep cross from the left.
Shandong Luneng stalwart Wang Yongpo sealed the win from the penalty spot six minutes into the second half, after DPR Korea defender Ri Yong-chol was adjudged to have fouled goal-scorer Yu in the area.
The victory saw China go level on three points with the North Koreans, who defeated Japan 2-1 in their tournament opener, with Korea Republic leading the way with four points, following their 1-1 draw with defending champions Japan in Wednesday’s earlier fixture at the Wuhan Sports Centre Stadium.
The EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) East Asian Cup is providing the four participating sides an opportunity to assess their respective squads ahead of the resumption of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers next month.
China will be looking to build on the 6-0 victory over Bhutan in their Group C opener on September 3 when they entertain Hong Kong, who top the table following home wins over Bhutan and the Maldives, while DPR Korea will look to maintain their 100% record in Group H when they take on Bahrain in Manama on the same day.
Photo: AFP