Humbling 3-0 loss to Japan ends Korea’s EAFF E-1 campaign

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Humbling 3-0 loss to Japan ends Korea’s EAFF E-1 campaign

Cho Gue-sung, left, and Japan's Shinnosuke Hatanaka fight for the ball during a match between Japan and Korea at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in Toyota, Japan on Wednesday evening. [AFP/YONHAP]

Cho Gue-sung, left, and Japan's Shinnosuke Hatanaka fight for the ball during a match between Japan and Korea at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship in Toyota, Japan on Wednesday evening. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
It was a humbling night for the Taeguk Warriors on Wednesday as Korea's EAFF E-1 Football Championship dreams came crashing down in a painful 3-0 defeat to Japan.
 
After a scoreless first half, the host nation pulled off a tour de force in the second half at Toyota Stadium in Toyota, Japan, with quick goals from Yuki Soma, Sho Sasaki and Shuto Machino.
 
Korea, meanwhile, seemed unable to do anything but sit back and watch the host nation mount attack after attack. While in the first half the Taeguk Warriors were able to hold their own and just about controlled the majority of the ball, that team was nowhere to be seen after the break, as a resurgent Japan walked all over the Korean midfield.
 
The result was a killer blow for Korea, who entered the game with a two-point lead on the EAFF E-1 table. With the win, Japan edged Korea out by a single point to take the regional tournament title.
 
Wednesday's result is hauntingly familiar to the last time Korea and Japan faced off in a friendly last year. Japan also won that game 3-0, with the loss blamed on Korea's inexperienced squad and the lack of the more dominant players based in Europe.
 
That exact same excuse could be rolled out this time around as well, as Korea had to play the game without the likes of Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan and Kim Min-jae, all of whom are with their clubs in Europe, and Hwang In-beom, who is in the process of signing with Greek club Olympiacos. 
 
But the loss to Japan, which ranks four spots above Korea on the FIFA world ranking, marks an unfortunate end to what has been a fairly good tournament for head coach Paulo Bento's young squad.
 
Korea opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over China, a team that later held to Japan to a draw, before romping to another 3-0 win over Hong Kong.
 
Korea end the tournament in second place, followed by China in third and Hong Kong in fourth.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
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