- Kim Min-jae rises to head home the only goal of the match in front of a partisan but sparse crowd
- China will be hoping to avoid the wooden spoon when they play Hong Kong on Wednesday
China were beaten 1-0 by hosts South Korea in the EAFF Football Championship in Busan on Sunday evening but the scoreline did not tell the whole story.
It was the visitors who had the first chance of the game in front of a partisan but sparse crowd at the Asiad Main Stadium, which was used for the 2002 Fifa World Cup.
China striker Dong Xuesheng fired over from a Tan Long cross, but that was not a pattern that would continue.
Instead, the man known as "Monster" opened the scoring from a corner four minutes later. Kim Min-jae is no stranger to the China team, playing his club football for Chinese Super League runners-up Beijing Guoan and having scored against the national side at the AFC Asian Cup in January.
His header was an almost carbon copy of that goal in the UAE at the start of the year as he rose highest to power home at the near post. The goal had been coming, with South Korea's Hwang In-beom hitting the crossbar from outside the area. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder came close to adding to the goal he scored in his side's opener against Hong Kong.
EAFF E-1 Football Championship: Japan Olympic team beat Hong Kong to make it two wins from two
From then on it was all South Korea, with Na Sang-ho also coming close after great footwork and a cross from the goalscorer Kim. Na went close again in the second half, hitting the side netting.
Paulo Bento, the South Korea coach, cut a frustrated figure at times as he saw his side dominate without turning that dominance into more goals. The Portuguese was seen kicking in the air in the technical area after one miss from Hwang in the second half.
South Korea had 13 shots compared to China's two, neither of which were on target. It was Hebei China Fortune striker Dong who was the culprit on the second, blazing over again in the 52nd minute in what was China's final chance of the game.
EAFF E-1 Football Championship: Hong Kong lose 2-0 to South Korea in their opening match
Victory for the record four-time winners, and champions in the last two tournaments, sets up a winner-takes-all game for the hosts and Japan on Wednesday evening to decide who wins the tournament. The winner takes on the champions of the Asean Football Federation Finals in Vietnam next year.
This young Japan side have impressed ahead of Tokyo's hosting of the Olympic Games next summer, notably in a 5-0 win over Hong Kong on Saturday night.
Hong Kong's 5-0 loss to Japan leaves China " who have not won a game at the EAFF Finals since beating Japan in the 2015 edition " with a superior goal difference to the side they meet on Wednesday afternoon.
The Chinese media had publicised that the bottom line for new coach Li Tie's side would be to beat Hong Kong and avoid coming bottom of the group.
South Korean media's fears of rough treatment for their players from the Chinese team, which followed a rough opening meeting between China and Japan last Tuesday, proved to be unfounded.
In fact it was South Korea's Moon Seon-min who found himself in the referee's book after a late tackle.
China defender Yu Dabao was asked by Chinese media how the team should prepare for the game against Hong Kong. ""Go all out and win the game," he said.
Yu also refused to blame fatigue after the Chinese Super League season, which concluded earlier this month, for the country's back to back defeats.
"Since coming to South Korea, fatigue should not be a reason. Everyone's desire to play for the country is very strong. Regardless of fatigue, the team will not slacken."
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