Wednesday's expected loss to South Korea looks to have been more helpful than damaging for Team China at the Asian Cup, with the match allowing coach Marcello Lippi to rest his walking wounded while giving youngsters valuable experience ahead of the knockout stage.

Having already secured a last-16 spot in United Arab Emirates, Lippi gave youth a chance as top stars like Wu Lei, who is nursing a shoulder injury, got the night off ahead of Sunday's showdown with Thailand.

As expected, Son Heung-min was China's tormentor-in-chief in Abu Dhabi.

The Tottenham Hotspur star's clever footwork earned the Koreans a 12th-minute penalty, which was converted by Hwang Ui-jo.

Son's corner was headed home by Kim Min-jae in the 51st minute as Korea added another 'W' to its decades-long dominance against its neighbor.

The mood in the Chinese camp, however, was far from downbeat.

"What matters is our fourth match (against Thailand), not this one," said Lippi, who is set to quit the job after this tournament, having taken the reins in 2016 midway through the World Cup qualifying campaign.

"The most important thing is that we rested our players, restored some of our strength and we have to be confident facing the knockout challenge."

With Korea throwing Son straight into the fray two days after his arrival in Abu Dhabi from London, Lippi rested the starry Wu, who hurt his shoulder in China's 1-0 opening victory over Kyrgyzstan.

Attacking midfielder Hao Junmin and veteran centerback Feng Xiaoting also sat out as Lippi appeared to treat the match as more of an experiment, trying out different formations.

"I kind of expected the result once I saw the starting roster of the Korean side," said Italy's 2006 World Cup winner.

"However, they are not our target at the moment and we should move on to prepare for the next match with the lessons we learned from this one."

Although physically looking a little rusty, Son's class still shone through, with his Premier League poise helping Korea dominate possession and lay siege to China's goal in more convincing style than it had in its two previous matches－1-0 wins over the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan.

Young Chinese defender Liu Yiming said going toe to toe with Son was a humbling but educational experience.

"I've done my best but he still delivered ... that's how the gap was supposed to look," said the 23-year-old Tianjin Tianhai fullback, who played the full 90 minutes.

"After battling against him, I think I will be more comfortable facing some other offensive players at the tournament."

Four yellow cards showed China wasn't backing away from a physical battle, but Lippi's defense was still repeatedly exposed by the Koreans' lightning-quick attack.

Up front, Chinese weaknesses were also apparent, especially in the absence of Shanghai SIPG hotshot Wu.

His two-goal performance in the 3-0 victory over the Philippines on Jan 11 was vital in sending China through to the last 16.

Lippi revealed earlier on Wednesday that Wu will return to the starting XI against Thailand, despite an SIPG medical official urging the 27-year-old to undergo shoulder surgery as soon as possible.

Many observers believe finding firepower other than Wu could be crucial to breaking down Thailand, which humiliated China 5-1 in a 2013 friendly.

"The defeat at the hands of the Koreans was no surprise but the team has to regroup as soon as possible and learn from the loss to better prepare for Thailand," said Zhu Xiaoyu, an analyst with China Central Television.

"That game needs the players to concentrate more than in any of the group matches."

China beat the Thais 2-0 in a friendly last summer, but veteran playmaker Zheng Zhi expects a tougher challenge this time around in Al Ain.

"Entering the elimination phase, we will take it one match at a time and respect every opponent regardless of the previous records," he said.

"Our goal is to run as deep as possible."