China held goalless in Shenzhen
Print Edition
CHINA was frustrated 0-0 by Hong Kong in a World Cup qualifier last night as Son Heung-min celebrated his move to Tottenham Hotspur with a hat-trick in South Korea’s 8-0 thrashing of Laos.
Japan finally got a win under coach Vahid Halilhodzic and Australia shrugged off internal problems to smash five past Bangladesh as Asia’s big fish feasted on the region’s minnows.
However, China’s Hong Kong kept Alain Perrin’s China in check and stayed on top of Group C with a gritty draw played under tight security on the 70th anniversary of Japan’s World War II defeat. It has seven points, two ahead of China.
Goalkeeper Yapp Hung-fai was in defiant mood, pulling off a string of saves as Hong Kong ensured a markedly different result to its 0-7 qualifying defeat in China in 2004.
“China had a few chances at the beginning. China did well from the beginning. But God blessed us,” said Hong Kong coach Kim Pan-gon.
Asian champion Australia had an easier time in Perth as it cast off internal upheaval over a pay dispute to put five past Bangladesh, which is 173rd in the world rankings.
Players boycotted pre-match promotional appearances but they showed no signs of mutiny on the pitch with Celtic’s Tom Rogic scoring twice as Australia went 4-0 up before half-time.
Japan has so far endured a 2015 to forget, crashing out in the Asian Cup quarterfinals as the defending champion and finishing last at last month’s four-team East Asian Cup.
But after four games without a win, it finally got off the mark under Halilhodzic, with big guns Keisuke Honda, Maya Yoshida and Shinji Kagawa all on target in a 3-0 home win over 180th-ranked Cambodia.
Japan, bidding for its sixth straight World Cup berth, rose to four points, while Cambodia remained winless after three matches in Group E.
As a busy night of qualifiers continued, new Spurs signing Son put in the performance so far when he bagged a hat-trick among South Korea’s eight unanswered goals against tiny Laos.
The English Premier League new boy struck two of South Korea’s three goals before the break and he completed his treble on 74 minutes as the hosts ran riot in the second half in Hwaseong.
The win was the Koreans second from two games in Group G ahead of Tuesday’s away match in Lebanon. Kuwait and Myanmar are the two other teams in the group.
Later, unheralded Guam, East Timor and Bhutan were trying their luck in away fixtures against Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, respectively.
The second round of Asian qualifying, which finishes in March, features 39 teams and also doubles as a route to the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
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