On July 31, 2005, the East Asian Football Championship (now EAFF E-1 Football Championship) kicked off with a heated encounter between China and South Korea.
In the 4th minute, China's Sun Xiang won a free kick after a strong breakthrough down the left flank. South Korean players tightly marked the likes of Xie Hui and Li Weifeng, and Li Weifeng, captain of the Chinese national team, raised his hand and pushed an opponent in the face, with the latter falling to the ground immediately! After consulting with the linesman, the Japanese referee, in a mix-up, showed a red card to Gao Lin, a young player making his debut for China's senior team, who thus took the fall and was sent off wrongfully. The first half ended 0-0.
After the break, South Korea significantly stepped up their attack. Having withstood their consecutive onslaughts, China launched a counterattack in the 53rd minute. Chen Tao won a flank free kick with individual skill; Li Weifeng hit a long ball towards the edge of the penalty area, Xie Hui nodded it on with a high header, and Sun Xiang struck a powerful volley from a tight angle at the far post. South Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae could do nothing as the ball crashed into the net like a cannon shot, putting China 1-0 ahead.
After conceding, South Korea immediately intensified their attack. With a numerical advantage, they pushed their lines forward and gradually laid siege to China. In the 73rd minute, South Korean striker Lee Dong-gook won a free kick on the right flank of the attacking third. Instead of crossing high, South Korea opted for a low-driven shot from a tight angle; Kim Jin-gyu's strike bounced in front of the goal, and although Chinese goalkeeper Li Leilei got a hand to it, the ball still trickled into the net, leveling the score at 1-1 for South Korea.
Boosted by the goal, South Korea created more threats in quick succession. In the 82nd minute, South Korea launched an offensive through Jung Kyung-ho; a curling shot from outside the box hit the crossbar! After the ball bounced back into play, South Korean players immediately launched a second wave of attack, breaking into the penalty area after short passes. Cao Yang made physical contact with the player from behind, bringing him down, and the referee awarded a penalty while showing Cao Yang a red card, sending him off. Li Weifeng, who rushed forward to remonstrate with the referee, was also shown a yellow card.
Li Leilei produced an excellent save to keep out Lee Dong-gook's penalty. However, Li Weifeng continued to argue with the referee, and before the goal kick could be taken, the referee showed him a second yellow card, resulting in his dismissal. China were reduced to 8 players.
In a rare scene in the closing stages, all 8 Chinese players threw themselves into defending around the penalty area, and somehow they managed to hold firm despite the numerical disadvantage! South Korea created threats with successive crosses from both flanks but were let down by poor finishing. In the end, China stubbornly held on for a 1-1 draw with South Korea.
