 |
| The national soccer team played its first match against China at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 7th. Lee Dong-kyung scored the first goal in the first half. Yongin = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2025.07.07/ |
|
As China lost to South Korea in succession, China also recognizes the gap with South Korea.
The Chinese national team was completely defeated 0-3 in the first match of the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (hereinafter referred to as the East Asian Cup) against the South Korean national soccer A team at Mir Stadium in Yongin on the 7th. It was Korea without European players, but China was no match for Korea at all.
On the 8th, China's U-16 national team and South Korea's U-16 national team clashed in Shenyang, China. In the final match of the 2025 Chinese Football Association (CFA) four-nation friendly tournament, China also lost to South Korea 3-4.
 |
| 사진=왕이 |
|
The A team's game was unilaterally dominated by South Korea, but the youth game was fierce. China led by scoring the first goal from a free kick in the first six minutes of the first half, but South Korea succeeded in turning the tables. Kim Ji-ho showed Korea's strength by scoring an equalizer in the 12th minute of the first half and an upset goal in the 42nd minute of the first half. South Korea led 3-1 as Nam Yi-an scored an additional goal at the end of the first half.
China, which burned its fighting spirit at half-time, showed a change in the second half. China scored a comeback goal in the 10th minute of the second half and immediately equalized in the 12th minute of the second half, making the game at square one. However, South Korea took the lead again with Choi Min-joon's score from a corner kick in the 20th minute. Korean prospects did not miss the lead they took again, and won 4-3.
In this friendly match, the Korean U-16 team won the championship with all three wins, and the Chinese U-16 team finished the tournament with one win, one draw and one loss.
 |
| The national soccer team played its first match against China at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 7th. Joo Min-gyu is trying to shoot. Yongin = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2025.07.07/ |
|
After the game, Chinese media Wang Yi said 'The A team lost one after another, and the youth team fought hard, but eventually lost, it is clear that the overall performance of Korean soccer is above that of Chinese soccer. South Korea's A national team has advanced to the finals for 11 consecutive times, starting with the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. On the other hand, China's A team has only made it to the finals once in the 2002 World Cup between Korea and Japan, acknowledging the reality of Chinese soccer.
It is true that the fighting spirit was shown during the game, whether it was the Chinese men's soccer adult team or the youth team, but the biggest cause of defeat was a lack of skills. Football is essentially a system. Each step, from informing the public, fostering elite youth, to professional leagues, determines the level of football in a country and region. The reason why Chinese soccer continues to lose and challenge again is because of its lack of skills,' he said, evaluating that China lost to South Korea in succession because of its lack of skills.
 |
| The national soccer team played its first match against China at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 7th. Chinese national soccer team No.17 kwai jiwon. Yongin = Reporter Song Jeong-heon @sportschosun.com/2025.07.07/ |
|
Chinese soccer is in crisis recently. Existing players have failed thoroughly, and their advance to the World Cup finals has been thwarted early on. Young prospects are emerging through generational change, but they are not at a competitive level on the Asian stage.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
