Zhang Linpeng (No 13 in white) of China celebrates with teammates after he converted a penalty kick against Malaysia in their men's soccer Group A pool match on Saturday. China won 3-0 and faces the Republic of Korea in the last 16. Liu Jin / Agence France-Presse

GUANGZHOU - A lack of skilled strikers remains a problem for the Chinese men's soccer team ahead of Monday's clash against perennial rival the Republic of Korea (ROK).

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Coach Sun Wei admitted ahead of the Guangzhou Asian Games knockout-round clash that his team struggled in its last two group matches after missing several gilt-edged scoring chances, especially against Kyrgyzstan.

"The strikers don't have a strong ability to send the ball into the net due to a lack of scoring sense. We don't have an aggressive player who can change the match," Sun said.

China and the ROK face off at 7 pm at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou.

In the 2-1 defeat of Kyrgyzstan on Wednesday, striker Li Kai missed at least two excellent chances. The coach took him off in favor of Lu Wenjun, who brought the home crowd back into the match when he scored in the 84th minute.

In Saturday's clash against Malaysia, which finished with eight men, China secured its position in the last 16 with three goals from defenders in the second half.

"I have asked the strikers to learn more from the defenders. Otherwise, we will have little chance to go further in the Asian Games," Sun said.

China did not have its full team until one week before the Group A opener against Japan, Sun said, "so it is hard for us to recover our good form."

ROK teams have proven to be a headache for China during the past two decades, giving it fits in the youth and senior levels. The ROK eased past Palestine 3-0 in its last Group C match on Saturday, finishing one point behind neighbor and rival the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

A 1-0 loss to the DPRK in the Group C opener did not derail the ROK. Its form improved with the late arrival of striker Park Chu-young, who plays his club soccer for French side AS Monaco and scored against Palestine.

China did not seem daunted by the prospect of facing one of the tournament's hottest teams, though.

"I don't care which team we face in the next match. We are not afraid of the ROK," China captain Zhang Linpeng said. "Unlike the senior team, we don't have a psychological shadow before the game against the ROK," Zhang added, referring to the "Koreaphobia" phenomenon that saw China go winless against the ROK from 1978 to 2010.

That 27-match dry spell, which included 16 losses and 11 draws, came to an end on Feb 10 as China won 3-0 in the East Asian Championship.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/15/2010 page10)