Young guns hit the ground running in final round
By Wu Jie Published: Jul 15, 2025 05:11 PM
Huang Zhengyu (left) scores against Hong Kong at the East Asian Cup on July 15, 2025 in Yongin, South Korea. Photo: VCG
China's national football team wrapped up their 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup, with a comforting 1-0 victory over Hong Kong on Tuesday.
Thanks to a first-half goal from midfielder Huang Zhengyu, China rebounded to finish the tournament in third place, 3 points ahead of the bottom Hong Kong team.
Having lost to South Korea 0-3 and Japan 0-2 in the first two games, the win is a timely boost for China, who is on the track to rebuild after the exit from the 2026 World Cup and still looking for a new head coach.
Huang exchanged a one-two with captain Zhang Yuning just outside the center of the penalty area, before firing a low shot into the net in the 20th minute. It was also Huang's maiden goal for the national team.
Zhang headed home from a corner in the 69th minute, but the goal was ruled out as the corner had gone outside before the goal.
It was promising to see young talents such as Wang Yudong, Wumitijiang and Kuai Jiwen find their footing in the national team, Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Half of the current Chinese squad are players born after the year 2000. Wang and Kuai got considerable playing time in the tournament under the interim head coach Dejan Djurdjevic, who took the helm in June after the sacking of Croatian Branko Ivankovic following China's elimination from the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The young players have showed their confidence with ball possession but they need to learn to keep composure during the game as a rush of blood to the head could have changed the course of the match, Liu noted.
Tempers boiled over in the second half when Wang was infuriated by a foul and a knock from the opponent, his reaction led to a shoving match between several players from the two sides. Wang, who had one of his shots parried to the post in the second half, was shown a yellow card for the incident.
Djurdjevic, who will step down as the caretaker after the tournament, said China deserved the win and Chinese football is on the right track.
"I'm very happy that we finished this match in the way we planned. We knew it wouldn't be easy. Hong Kong is an interesting team, but we deserved it," said the Serbian.
Commenting on the growth of the young players, he said that these players have progressed from youth academy and junior teams all the way to the national team.
"It has been a long journey that required time and space for development. The emergence of young players is a very positive sign and Chinese football is heading in the right direction," he noted.
Captain Zhang said that the team gained valuable experience through the tournament. However, the intensity of the domestic league still needs to improve. Zhang said the Chinese team will deliver better performances in the future.
Li Xuan, another sports commentator, said via her Sina Weibo account that the road to rebuild the Chinese national team will indeed be a long one. It will require the Chinese Football Association to adopt rational and effective management, a new head coach with strong tactical acumen and players who are truly committed to fighting for their country.
Defending champion Japan defeated South Korea 1-0 later on Tuesday and won the tournament with three victories.
The 2025 East Asian Cup, a four-team mini-league, ran from July 7 to 16 in Suwon and Yongin, South Korea's Gyeonggi Province.