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| Chinese player Yan Song (R) fights
for the ball with a Malaysian player (L) during their 2006 World Cup
qualifier on September 8,
2004. (Xinhua) |
Li Jinyu's sole goal gave a 10-man China team a 1-0 hardfought victory
against Malaysia on Wednesday during their World Cup Asian Zone
qualifier.
The host team, under its new coach Bertalan Bickei of Hungary who took
the post after its humiliating 4-0 away defeat to China on June 9, had the
upper hand in the first half, missing several scoring opportunities.
The chances for Malaysians in the second half were even better as
Chinese defender Zheng Zhi was sent
off for picking up a second yellow five minutes into the
second. But a header from Li in the 69th minute destroyed the host's
winning hopes.
China stayed unbeaten in the group with four wins followed by Kuwait,
standing with three wins and one defeat. Hong Kong was third as Malaysia
ranked the last.
 In other action, newly-crowned Asian champions Japan stayed on
course for the 2006 World Cup in convincing fashion while South Korea were
made to struggle.
Japan preserved their 100 per cent record in Group 3 with a 4-0 victory
over India while the Koreans, semi-finalists at the last World Cup,
recovered from 1-0 down and an early sending-off to beat Vietnam 2-1.
Lowly India, still smarting from their 7-0 drubbing in the first leg in June, held the
Japanese until the last minute of the first half in Calcutta when Takayuki
Suzuki opened the scoring.
But the visitors dominated the second half with Shinji Ono, Takashi
Fukunishi and Tsuneyasu Miyamoto all getting on the score-sheet.
"We came here to win and got that," said Japan's coach Zico. "It took
the boys time to settle down in the hot weather, but they showed good
courage to come back strongly in the second half."
Meanwhile a late free-kick from Lee Chun-soo spared South Korea's blushes as the World
Cup 2002 semi-finalists recovered from a goal down and a first-half red
card to beat Vietnam 2-1.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2004-09-09 09:33