Worldcup 1998 : Dynasty Cup - Japan 0 / China 2, March 7, 1998.

JAPAN 0 / CHINA 2, March 7, 1998.

MATCH :
Referee:
A.R. Al Zeid (Ara)
Goals:
China:
Li Bing (9, 50)
Cautions::
Japan:
Kawaguchi (77)
China:
Wu Chengying (74)
Spectators:
53.226

Japan retains Dynasty Cup despite 2-0 loss

TOKYO, Japan, March 7, 98 (Reuters)
China beat World Cup qualifiers Japan 2-0 in Tokyo's national stadium on Saturday but a missed penalty by captain Fan Zhiyi cost them overall victory in the Dynasty Cup.

The title went to Japan by one goal after Fan blasted the ball over the bar in the 77th minute following goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi's foul on goal-bound Li Bing that saw the referee point to the spot.

Japan retained the trophy that it won three years ago in Hong Kong on goal difference ahead of China and South Korea, which both also finished on six points.

Hong Kong lost all three of its matches.

China, which failed to qualify for the World Cup finals in France this summer, played the best soccer in defeating Takeshi Okada's side with Li Bing causing the home defenders innumerable problems.

Li provided both China's goals, the Sichuan striker credited with the first although television replays suggested that Japanese striker Masashi Nakayama had the final touch on Yao Xia's 10th-minute corner.

The second came six minutes into the second half when Kawaguchi parried Wu Chengying's shot to shoulder height from where Li hooked the ball home.

Japan's front line of Kazu Miura, making his first start in the competition, and Nakayama rarely threatened the solid Chinese central defensive partnership of Fan and Zhang Enhua.

It was left to midfielders Hidetoshi Nakata, the tournament's most valuable player, and Hiroshi Nanami to present problems to China.

Nakata provided Japan's one true moment of magic 36 minutes in when he surged through the heart of China's defense, leaving three players in his wake before squaring the ball to Motohiro Yamaguchi.

China, under the control of new English coach Bobby Houghton for the past month, fully deserved its first win over Japan since the 1990 Dynasty Cup.

Korea had earlier looked uninterested in its 1-0 win over lowly Hong Kong. A Choi Yong Su header in injury time saved Cha Bum Kun's side the embarrassment of sharing the points with Hong Kong.