Chinese striker Zhang Yuning (No.9) competes in the match against Japan at the East Asian Football Championship in Yongin, South Korea on July 12, 2025. Photo: VCG

China's national football team suffered another setback at the 2025 East Asian Football Championship on Saturday, falling to the Japanese side 2-0 in their second match.

Japan sealed the win with goals from Mao Hosoya and Henry Heroki Mochizuki respectively.

The defeat of the Chinese team follows a 3-0 loss to South Korea earlier this week. The Chinese team will hope to end their campaign on a positive note in their final match against Hong Kong on July 15 two straight defeats.

The interim head coach of Chinese team Dejan Djurdjevic, who took the reins just over two weeks ago after the sacking of Branko Ivankovic, once again fielded a lineup dominated by post-2000 players.

Before this match, host nation South Korea secured a 2-0 victory over the Hong Kong team for a second straight win. With two straight wins, South Korea now has six points, and will face defending champions Japan on July 15.

The East Asian Football Championship is being held from Monday to July 16 in Suwon and Yongin, South Korea's Gyeonggi Province.

Global Times