Japan won the women's title at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship after a 0-0 draw with China in their third game of the tournament at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, Japan, on Tuesday.

Though Japanese players didn't score in Tuesday's game, their two-win-one-draw record was good enough to beat the other three opponents at the Championship. China, which had one win and two draws, were second, followed by South Korea who got one win, one draw and one loss.

Chinese players had many defensive highlights against Japan on Tuesday night. They even kept the opponents from completing throw-ins and goal kicks on multiple occasions. There were two periods at the beginning of the first and second halves during which China implemented great pressure on Japan from high posts in the front field. As a result, Japanese players failed to make the ball flow as they used to in the previous games.

However, a solid defense was not good enough to help China win this game. Though manager Shui Qingxia put Wang Shuang in the starting lineup for the offensive sake, it's clear that the rest of the team was not on the same pace with Wang. She was the only player on the Chinese side able to beat defenders and changed the opponents' defense by dribbling.

Unfortunately, Wang's teammates couldn't exploit the opportunities she created. Most of the Chinese players preferred safety over high-risk creativity when they were dealing with the ball. That's why there were more clearances instead of long passes for counterstrike at the back field for China.

Shui didn't plan for a completely defensive contest, which could be seen from her decision to send in Song Duan and Tang Jiali in the second half. Song could be a sharp blade in counterattack but she needed to be fed by teammates to take advantage of her speed. Unfortunately, none of the rest of the team could do it. Tang worked hard in the game, but the major difference between her and Wang was the ability to break through the defensive line on her own.

The Chinese "Steel Roses" deserved praise for their resilient and solid defensive performances. Japan's mobile offense, which came from smart group plays among two to three players, was not easy to contain. But Chinese defenders managed to appear in the right positions at the right time on most occasions.

Allowing no goal could keep the team from losing, but it takes scoring to win the game. China did the former part well on Tuesday night and need to figure out how to improve the latter one.