China finish as AFC U23 Asian Cup runners-up after falling in final against Japan

China missed out on a chance to win the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup title after falling to defending champions Japan 4-0 in Saturday's final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Chinese team had reached the final for the first time in history by defeating Vietnam 3-0 in Tuesday's semifinals.

"I am sorry for failing to show our best game in this crucial final. It reflects our strength. We respect our opponents and also our own efforts," said China defender Hu Hetao.

"I believe we will achieve a better result in the next edition and every generation of the U23 team will make progress in the future. I trust them," he added.

Yuto Ozeki and Kosei Ogura put Japan ahead 2-0 in the first half, before Ryunosuke Sato and Ogura rounded out the scoring.

Japan, the 2016 and 2024 champions, reached this year's title match after squeaking past the Republic of Korea 1-0 in the semifinals.

The reigning titleholders took the initiative in the opening minutes, forcing a couple of corner  kicks. The Chinese side also had a solid early chance, only to see Xiang Yuwang fail to make the most of a long ball, with his header too weak to surprise Japanese goalkeeper Rui Araki.

China conceded their first goal of the tournament when Ozeki's strike took a deflection off defender Peng Xiao, bouncing past goalkeeper Li Hao 12 minutes into the match.

Ogura reclaimed possession out of the box eight minutes later, with the midfielder taking a few touches before unleashing a rocket into the bottom corner.

Sato converted a penalty around the hour mark to make it 3-0 before a poor clearance fell to Ogura, whose first-time attempt took another deflection into the net.

China had a goal denied in the 68th minute when Yang Xi poked in a follow-up shot, but the effort was ruled offside.

Vietnam claimed third place on Friday after edging the ROK 7-6 in a shootout, after the two sides battled to a 2-2 draw in extra time.