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Paul McNamara

Japan set up a final-day East Asian Football Championship title shoot-out with South Korea, after they beat China 2-0 in Seoul on Saturday.
In a mirror image of the past two editions, in 2019 and 2022, Hong Kong will fight the Chinese to avoid the ignominy of claiming the tournament’s wooden spoon.
And while hopes have been high of a first Hong Kong victory in 40 years, China were more organised, aggressive and ambitious against Japan than in their 3-0 loss to the Koreans five days earlier.
Six minutes after they fell behind to Mao Hosoya’s early strike, China had a golden chance to level. A slightly fortunate ricochet off his own boot sent Zhang Yuning clean through, but the striker’s low shot was too close to Tomoki Hayakawa in goal. Wei Shihao tamely side-footed the rebound wide.
Japan had made no such mistake when their chance fell, and after Gao Tianyi lost possession in midfield, early in the 11th minute, the next China player to touch the ball was goalkeeper Yan Junling, when he picked it out of his net roughly 40 seconds later.


Satoshi Tanaka rattled the final pass into Hosoya, who had his back to goal on the edge of the area. The centre-forward turned and escaped debutant China defender Liu Haofan in one movement, before unleashing a full-blooded shot across Yan and into the left corner.
“This is the second time in the competition that our opponents have scored from their first shot,” Dejan Djurdjevic, the China interim head coach, said. “When you go 1-0 down so early, it’s very difficult.”
Japan gave debuts to five players in a team that was entirely changed from the one that thumped Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Despite their relative inexperience and China’s spirited effort, it never looked like they would do anything other than stretch their unbeaten run in this fixture, dating back to March 1998, to an 18th match.
Before half-time, Hosoya headed wide from a promising position, and Yan denied Ryunosuke Sato one-on-one.
Hayakawa stood tall to resist a fierce attempt from the impressive 18-year-old China forward Wang Yudong seven minutes after the restart.
But it was always the Japanese with more of the ball and the chances, and on 63 minutes, Yan was beaten inside his left post, after Henry Heroki Mochizuki’s goal-bound 25-yard effort deflected off the foot of Zhu Chenjie.
“This is a good start for our new beginning,” Djurdjevic said. “We chose some new players, and have found good things from them.”
Japan need only a draw with the Koreans on Tuesday to retain their title. Hong Kong must beat China earlier the same day to leapfrog them into third.


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Chinese Football Association (CFA)

East Asian Championship: China lose to Japan, face Hong Kong wooden spoon fight

Mao Hosoya, seen here in action against Indonesia last month, scored Japan’s opener against China. Photo: Kyodo


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Leon Jones (left) tries to drive clear of Japan forward Yuki Kakita in Hong Kong’s opening East Asian Championship defeat. Photo: HKFA

Former Scotland youth international Leon Jones strides forward during Hong Kong’s 2-0 loss to South Korea. Photo: HKFA

Key defender Leon Jones is front and centre of celebrations following last month’s victory over India. Photo: Sam Tsang

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Hong Kong forward Juninho palms off Lee Seung-won during Hong Kong’s 2-0 defeat by South Korea. Photo: Xinhua 

Ashley Westwood barks out instructions during Hong Kong’s 2-0 loss to South Korea. Photo: Xinhua

Shinichi Chan, here battling Seo Myung-guan, plays his club football for Shanghai Shenhua. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Football

Mao Hosoya blasts Japan in front after 11 minutes, before Chinese fate sealed by second-half Henry Heroki Mochizuki strike


Mao Hosoya blasts Japan in front after 11 minutes, before Chinese fate sealed by second-half Henry Heroki Mochizuki strike.


East Asian Football Championship

Wang Yudong

Yan Junling

Dejan Djurdjevic

East Asian Championship: China lose to Japan, face Hong Kong wooden spoon fight

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Mao Hosoya blasts Japan in front after 11 minutes, before Chinese fate sealed by second-half Henry Heroki Mochizuki strike

Mao Hosoya blasts Japan in front after 11 minutes, before Chinese fate sealed by second-half Henry Heroki Mochizuki strike