China kept their slim hopes of 2018 World Cup qualification alive with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over rivals South Korea in Changsha.
The game was played against the backdrop of rising tensions between the two countries over South Korea’s deployment of the THAAD missile system, with the small contingent of Korean fans who made the trip over being kept under constant supervision by Chinese police.
On the field, China manager Marcello Lippi started the game with five of his former Guangzhou Evergrande charges in the lineup, with Zheng Zhi taking the captain’s armband, and the defense being expertly marshalled by Feng Xiaoting, with Zhang Linpeng given license to roam forward from right-back.
China's first 11 line-up. (CFP Photo)
It was from one of Zhang’s attacking forays that China scored their only goal, with the defender forcing a corner midway through the first half that striker Yu Dabao dispatched beyond Korean goalkeeper Kwoun Sun-tae.
Perhaps stung into action by having been breached, the Koreans sought to redress the balance, almost leveling matters on the stroke of half-time as striker Ji Dong-won sent his header narrowly over the bar.
South Korea continued to apply pressure in the second half, with the Chinese defense being indebted to goalkeeper Zeng Cheng for a string of impressive saves, twice denying long range efforts from Korean captain Ki Sung-yeung.
Tempers flared in the final few minutes as the Koreans poured forward in search of an equalizer, but China held on to claim only their second ever victory over their fierce rivals, thus maintaining their slim hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
China’s next match will be a tough assignment away at group leaders Iran, who have not conceded a goal in their six previous matches.
South Korean supporters.(CFP Photo)
