Players of South Korea celebrate scoring a goal in the EAFF E-1 Football Championship game against South Korea in Gyeonggi, South Korea, July 7, 2025. /VCG

China suffered a 3-0 defeat to hosts South Korea in their opening game of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup, on Monday.

South Korea dominated throughout the game, continuously stretching China's defense with their efficient passing, possession play and changes of tempo. In the eighth minute, Lee Dong-gyeong opened the scoring with a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box. In the 21st minute, Joo Min-kyu netted a header, giving South Korea a 2-0 advantage at halftime.

After the break, China managed to regain some attacking momentum. However, in the 57th minute, Kim Ju-sung sealed the victory for South Korea by firing home from close range after a corner kick to make it 3-0.

Under caretaker coach Dejan Djurdjevic, the Chinese team fielded several young players at this tournament. Among them, 2006-born youngsters Kuai Jiwen and Wang Yudong were named in the starting lineup.

Djurdjevic said after the game that he had tried to implement some changes, especially at the start of the match, but facing strong opponents like South Korea proved very challenging.

"They (South Korea) scored early and played very smoothly, which put us under a lot of pressure," Djurdjevic said. He admitted that his team didn't perform well enough but he still appreciated all players' efforts on the pitch.

He said that it was normal to be restricted by such a strong team like South Korea. "This just isn't the right time for an in-depth analysis of the game. We need to make sure our players are ready and in better conditions for the upcoming matches," he added. "Some players were unable to take part in this match due to injuries, so we had to make the best use of the squad we had."

Djurdjevic acknowledged that South Korea fully deserved their win, as they were obviously the stronger side overall. "We might have performed slightly better in the second half, but that's probably because our opponents relaxed a bit and slowed their tempo after taking the lead," he said.

China will play Japan next on Saturday.

Source: CGTN