Asian Games 2023: Chinese football’s ‘National Day embarrassment’ as fans claim ‘curse of Koreaphobia cannot be broken’
Fans despair on social media as men’s national team lose 2-0 to South Korea, ending medal chances in Hangzhou‘They keep calling it fear of Korea, but it’s just that China can’t play football,’ was one withering online assessmentAsian Games 2023Nicolas AtkinPublished: 1:54pm, 2 Oct, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese football hit its latest low on Sunday, enduring a “National Day embarrassment” in a 2-0 loss to South Korea at the Hangzhou Asian Games that left fans claiming “the curse of Koreaphobia cannot be broken”.
The men’s national team, which was made up of mostly under-23 players for the home tournament, failed to register a single shot on target on Sunday night against a more experienced team including six overseas players who are favoured to win gold again.
Two-time defending men’s champions South Korea dominated possession, with Hong Hyun-seok and Song Min-kyu scoring in the first half at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium.
The victory booked them a place in the semi-finals against Uzbekistan on Wednesday but China will not even play for a medal.