Kwak Tae-hwi's injury-time goal lifted South Korea to a 3-2 win over hosts China in the opener of the East Asian championship in Chongqing, China, yesterday, preserving a 30-year unbeaten record against their rivals.
FC Seoul striker Park Chung also scored twice in a chilly afternoon match at the Chongqing Olympic Sports Center stadium.
The win means South Korea have not lost to China in 27 encounters and it was their 16th victory, adding to a so-called "Koreaphobia" in their neighbors across the Yellow Sea.
The other teams in the four-nation tournament, Japan and North Korea, were due to clash later yesterday.
"We are happy to win this game," South Korean coach Huh Jung-moo said, sidestepping a question if he was concerned about the record.
"I made a lot of substitutions because we should give chances to many players to learn and grow," said Huh, whose squad included nine hitherto uncapped players and none of three South Koreans who play in the English Premier League.
"We yielded goals but in the world even the best club and the best national team yield goals," he said.
China's Serbian coach Vladimir Petrovic, who was also missing Charlton Athletic midfielder Zheng Zhi and Manchester United forward Dong Fangzhuo at the peak of the European season, said: "The tradition has given us a little bit pressure."
"It was a very competitive, wonderful game and our players gained great experience," said Petrovic, who added six under-23 players to his squad ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.
Park opened the scoring in the 42nd minute as he headed home a cross from the left by striking partner Yeom Ki-hun.
But Zhang Shui equalized two minutes after the break with a 25m scorcher, and Liu Jian put the hosts ahead with a header in the 61st minute.
Park put the visitors on level terms with a curling free kick from just outside the area on 64 minutes. Kwak struck the winner a minute into stoppage time as he slammed the ball in past Chinese goalkeeper Zong Lei.
South Korea squandered chances with Lee Keun-ho and Kim Nam-ill both going close, while Kwak had a header ruled offside near the end.
South Korea won the inaugural East Asian Cup in 2003 and China were champions in 2005, with Japan runners-up in both.
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