▲ Choe Yu-ri of South Korea (L) celebrates her goal against China during the teams' second match at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Women's Football Championship at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, Japan, on July 23, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Choe Yu-ri of South Korea (R) scores against China during the teams' second match at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Women's Football Championship at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, Japan, on July 23, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Choo Hyo-joo of South Korea (L) battles Zhang Xin of China for the ball during the teams' second match at the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Women's Football Championship at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima, Japan, on July 23, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football-tournament

S. Korea play China to draw at East Asian football tournament

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea played China to a 1-1 draw at a regional women's football tournament in Japan on Saturday, unable to hold on to a narrow lead in the second half.

Forward Choe Yu-ri scored for South Korea in the 34th minute, before Wang Linlin brought China level in the 76th minute in the teams' second match at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Women's Football Championship at Kashima Soccer Stadium in Kashima.

South Korea began the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Japan on Tuesday. They will close out the round-robin competition against Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. next Tuesday, back at Kashima.

Japan defeated Chinese Taipei 4-1 earlier Saturday for their second consecutive victory, and the draw against China ensured that South Korea will not be able to win their first EAFF title since 2005.

South Korea now have four wins, eight draws and 29 losses against China. Their most recent victory came in August 2015.

Choe opened the scoring for South Korea in the 34th minute, when midfielder Cho So-hyun set her up just inside the penalty arc. Choe's right-footed shot traveled between the bodies of two defenders and beat goalkeeper Zhu Yu to her left.

South Korea's hopes for their first win over China in 17 years were dashed in the 76th minute, with Wang Linlin netting the equalizer thanks to a fortuitous bounce. Xiao Yuyi's initial shot took an awkward bounce and landed at Wang's feet, sending South Korean defenders scrambling. Wang easily poked it home to make it 1-1, and China held off the pesky South Koreans over the final stretch.

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