WUHAN, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China lost their first match in the East Asian Cup as the hosts were beaten by South Korea 2-0 here on Sunday.
Both sides were lack of good opportunity in the first half until Kim Seung Dae broke the deadlock in the 45th minute as the midfielder slotted the ball into the right corner of the net in a close range from a perfect pass of Lee Jong Ho.
China's coach Alain Perrin replaced Gao Lin by Sun Ke after the half break.
South Korea extended the lead in the 55th minute as Lee Jae Sung cut into box and squared for Kim Seung Dae who tapped the ball to Lee Jong Ho on the left side, he lobbed the ball to past China's goalkeeper Wang Dalei and send the ball in to the net.
Yu Hai missed the rebound to pull a goal back after Sun Ke's shot was parried by South Korea's goalkeeper Kim Seung Gyu.
Sun Ke got a good chance inside the box in the 78th minute but only saw his shot wide off the far post.
"South Korea's stamina and willpower limit us, the loss is a warning, we are not well prepared. We have seen the gap between South Korea, we will take the next two games seriously," said Perrin.