The Chinese national men’s football team defeated South Korea 1-0 in a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifying match Thursday evening in Changsha, in central China's Hunan Province.
Beijing Guoan striker Yu Dabao scored the winning goal after 34 minutes, in a game that was being watched as much for political as sporting reasons.
Yu Dabao. /CFP Photo
This was the second time the two teams met in the Asian qualification round for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. China lost the first game 2-3 in Seoul last September.
Thursday’s win gives China a crucial three points in Group A, but with two draws and three losses, the team is fifth in the table with five points, just above Qatar, and will need to pull out all the stops in its next games if it wants to make it to Russia in 2018.
South Korea meanwhile remains second in the table with 10 points, behind Iran, with one game in hand. Uzbekistan and Syria make up the rest of Group A.
CFP Photo
Aside from the sporting aspect, the game also drew attention as diplomatic ties between the two countries have become strained over the deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea, a move that has met with strong opposition from China at official and civilian levels.
Reports said a large police presence was put in place in Changsha to ensure the safety of the players and an expected 30,000 fans.
China next plays Iran on Tuesday at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.
CFP Photo
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