China was sent packing and Turkey moved into the second round of the World Cup for the first time yesterday in Seoul.
Turkey showed up China's inexperience at the highest level of the game, winning handsomely 3-0 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
PHOTO: AFP
An outstanding Hasan Sas provided the spark for Turkey, scoring the first goal after just six minutes and setting up Bulent Korkmaz for the second. He was also the provider for Umit Davala's exceptional strike in the second half.
Though well-drilled by coach Bora Milutinovic, China did not have the nous or ability to seriously challenge the European team.
With three games and three losses, no goals scored and nine against, China came second to last in the competition behind Saudi Arabia.
Defender Li Weifeng was apologetic after the defeat and first-round exit.
"I am sorry and I feel bad. Many fans came out to support us," he said. "But while we lost, we tried our best too."
Milutinovic said, "When you lose a game it's difficult to excuse everything, but I think this is the difference when you play for the first time ever in the World Cup. Small details make a big difference."
Turkey's coach Senol Gunes said, "We played hard in all the matches we played. The victory places us in the round of 16 and we feel relaxed. We managed to improve our game after we lost to Brazil."
At the start of the match, Turkey needed Costa Rica to lose against Brazil and three points from the game with China to advance and attacked from the beginning.
Sas caused problems for China's defense from the start, running on to a through ball and drawing a foul in the first minute. Then, he took advantage of a mix-up between two Chinese defenders who gifted him the ball 25m out. Sas said thank you and slammed the ball into the net for the opening goal.
Just three minutes later it was Sas again who put in a long ball to the far post. Li Xiaopeng tried to head away but the ball fell to Bulent Korkmaz, whose header looped over Jiang Jin in China's goal. Though Turkey's captain, Hakan Sukur, tried to claim the goal with another header, the ball had already crossed the line.
It was not all one-way traffic, however, and China pushed as hard as it could for its first World Cup goal, urged on by a large contingent of Chinese fans in the 43,605 crowd.
Striker Hao Haidong made it to the byline on the left and managed to get in a shot, but it was short of power and Rustu Recber easily collected.
Then Hao turned provider, slipping a ball across the face of the box which was met by Yang Chen. His shot ricocheted off the right post. It was the closest China would get to a breakthrough first goal in its first World Cup Finals appearance.
Sas started the second half as he began the first, on the offensive. He managed to find some space and took a shot from just outside the penalty area, but Jin stretched at full length toward the top left-hand corner to save well.
China riposted with some hopeful looking crosses, but substitute goalie Omer Catkic was up to the task and foiled "the Reds" with a series of stops.
China's Shao Jiayi, who was put on at halftime, enjoyed just 12 minutes of World Cup action when he was sent off for going in with his studs on Turkey's Emre Belozoglu.
Even so, China kept to its task with 10 men, looking for the goal, just one, to bring back home.
Sas blotted his record with a booking on 81 minutes, but then made up for it with another raid down the left wing. Umit Davala met the cross first time and drilled the ball home for his second goal of the tournament.
Sukur was given a golden opportunity to cap a great day for himself and his team on the day he broke Turkey's appearance record, but shot wide from 2m out, though his back was against the goal.
But it did not matter. When the final whistle blew there were the familiar scenes of hugging and jubilation from the Turkish bench and assorted officials.
A weary Chinese team took the opportunity to thank their fans and then trooped off the field, bowed but not broken.
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