China vs Korea Republic
Two teams in the top-heavy Group C, China and South Korea, are slated to duel against one another on Tuesday night at Shenzhen in the second matchday of the ongoing World Cup 2026 Asian qualifiers.
Both teams are off to good starts, as China are fresh from a 2-1 comeback win against Thailand yesterday, while South Korea gave Singapore a huge 5-0 spanking at their home pitch, which was expected.
Another thing that’s common for China and South Korea is the fact that they have new managers who are out to prove themselves by trying to guide their respective teams to the big dance, as Aleksandar Jankovic and Jurgen Klinsmann were both appointed in February, and they will face off for the first time.
Talking Points
Wu Lei the Chinese talisman
Thailand brought the fight to China yesterday, and it looked like we were headed for an upset when they were up by one goal after Sarach Yooyen volleyed the ball home during a counterattack in the 23rd minute.
However, the Dragons restored order six minutes later when Wei Shihao teed up Wu Lei for the equaliser. Wu Lei actually could’ve had a brace before the halftime break if his solo effort didn’t go wide.
After Wu Lei’s goal, China completed the turnaround in the 74th minute when Xie Pengfei’s ball found an unmarked Wang Shangyuan for an easy header, and they managed to fend off their hosts in the dying minutes.
Wu Lei continues his assault on the record books in club football and in international play. The 31-year-old is the all-time joint-leading scorer in the Chinese Super League (level with Elkeson with 131 goals), and he is approaching Hao Haidong’s redacted national team tally of 39 goals now that he has 31 already.
China head coach Aleksandar Jankovic couldn’t be any happier with having Wu Lei in his ranks, as other than his finishing ability, the Shanghai Port star is great at linking play to create more opportunities for his teammates.
South Korea don’t need to be over-reliant on Son
Heung-Min Son had South Korean supporters worried when he limped off to the sidelines for treatment after going down with an ankle knock late in the game. Fortunately for them, the Tottenham captain managed to finish the full 90 minutes, and he brushed off any injury concerns.
However, given Son’s recent injury history, one can’t help but wonder whether depending on him too much is sustainable or not. The good thing for the Taeguk Warriors this time, though, is that it may no longer be the case moving forward.
Hwang Hee-Chan, fondly known as the Wolves’ “Korean guy” by Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola, is a huge reason why it is so. With seven goals and two assists across all competitions so far this season, it’s safe to say that he’s in great form, and SBOTOP football fans are expecting him to be in the World Cup 2026 highlights reel next week.
And with PSG’s Lee Kang-In, Norwich City’s Hwang Ui-Jo, and Midtjylland’s Cho Gue-Sung also in their attacking corps, plus Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-Jae leading their granite-like defence, no wonder the World Cup 2026 odds heavily favour South Korea to defeat China once again.
History
China and South Korea have shared countless battles on the pitch throughout the years. Their football rivalry is commonly referred to as Konghanzheng, which means “Fear of Korea Symptom” because South Korea have China’s number.
In their past 36 matchups, South Korea have won a whopping 21 times, while China have won only twice, and there have been 13 draws.
China’s last official victory against South Korea was a 1-0 result during the sixth matchday of the World Cup 2018 Asian qualifiers. Unfortunately for the Dragons, they have failed to qualify, while the Taeguk Warriors managed to do so.
The Dragons’ first official win against the Taeguk Warriors happened in the 2010 EAFF Championship, when they pummeled them with a 3-0 scoreline in the final round.
Speaking of the World Cup, China have only qualified once in the big dance, and that was in 2002, when they ranked as the 31st-best team in the tournament.
As for South Korea, they have qualified for each of the last 10 World Cups since 1986, with their best run being a fourth-place finish in 2002, which they co-hosted with Japan.
In Qatar 2022, South Korea were one of the surprise packages in the tournament, as they went as far as the Round of 16, eventually losing to Brazil.
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