China's men's soccer selection team suffered a 0-3 defeat against the mighty South Korea in the first round of the East Asian Cup. The match kicked off at 18:20 on July 24th, and with Japan beating Hong Kong, China 6-0, the situation seemed extremely unfavorable for the Chinese team.
For China's defeat, in addition to the 0-3 scoreline, the figures of 24%-76% possession, 1-23 shots on goal ratio, 1-12 shots on target ratio, and 0-9 corners ratio are even more alarming. This disparity seemed to be expected despite the fact that the team consisted of the U23 national team and two overage players, while South Korea and Japan fielded much stronger players.
Japan showed strong strength against Hong Kong, China, with Takuma Nishimura, Yuki Soma, and Shudo Machino all scoring. Coach Mori Bao'ichi started to rotate his lineup after the 60th minute, showing his desire for victory. For this East Asian Cup, Mori Bokichi chose a lineup made up entirely of J-League homegrown players, with the intention of examining potential lineups for the World Cup.
In terms of odds, a 3-0 win for Japan pays the lowest odds of 1 to 3.7, while an away win for China pays more than 1 to 100, which certainly signals a tough game for the Chinese.
In the face of such a disparity in strength, a big defeat for the Chinese team seems unavoidable. However, the young players should remain calm, concentrate fully on defense, seize the limited offensive opportunities, keep a positive mindset, and should not give up the pursuit of victory.
