China loses to DPRK 2-0 in women's football semifinal

SHIZUOKA, Japan, Sept 29 (Xinhua) -- China lost 2-0 to DPR Korea in the women's football semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games here on Tuesday.

China reached the last four after a 1-0 extra-time win over Vietnam in the quarterfinals, and head coach Ante Milicic made several changes to its line-up for the semifinal, with Zhang Linyan and Li Qingtong sidelined by injury and Wang Yanwen suspended after accumulating yellow cards.

DPR Korea threatened early, hitting the crossbar in the third minute when Myong Yu Jong's shot from the right rebounded after a cutback. Heavy rain made the remainder of the first half cagey. China's first effort on goal came only in first-half stoppage time, when Shao Ziqin nodded over.

China almost took the lead shortly after the restart. In the 47th minute Wang Shuang's free kick found Zhang Chengxue, who beat the offside trap and headed toward goal, but DPR Korean keeper Yu Son Gum saved and Zhang's follow-up narrowly missed.

DPR Korea was awarded a free kick from a similar position six minutes later. Under pressure in the box, China defender Yao Wei inadvertently headed the ball into her own net to hand DPR Korea a 1-0 lead.

China coach Milicic brought on striker Yuan Cong as he sought to bolster the attack, but pushing forward left space at the back and DPR Korea increasingly controlled the game. They made the advantage safe in the 79th minute when a partially cleared corner fell to Myong, who was unmarked and fired into the far corner.

DPR Korea finished with 10 shots, five on target, while China managed only five shots with one on target.

"We always knew it was going to be a difficult game against a strong opponent in difficult conditions. I thought we defended well," Milicic said after the match. "Unfortunately, we conceded an own goal. We probably didn't have enough depth in our team to get back into the game."

Milicic said China's missing players had made the task more difficult, noting that the squad had been reduced from 26 players at the Asian Cup to 23 at the Asian Games.

"Without Zhang Linyan, Wang Yanwen, and Li Qingtong, missing three players is a lot," he said. "If you are going to compete against DPR Korea, you have to be at your best."

Milicic also attributed the result to details in set pieces.

"We worked a lot on our set pieces in training, but today we had bad luck," he said. "A little thing is going to make the difference in these games, and a mistake cost us today."

DPR Korea, who thrashed Chinese Taipei 5-1 to make the semis, will face the winner of Japan and South Korea in the final. China will play for the bronze medal on Friday against the loser of the two sides.

"We need to be disappointed tonight, but tomorrow morning we have to wake up and put this game behind us," Milicic said. "We only have two days of recovery, so we need to move on quickly, learn from this game and freshen up."