Tao Qianglong (second left) of China in action during the EAFF E-1 Football Championship match between China and Hong Kong, China in Toyota, Japan on July 27, 2022 Photo: VCG

China capped the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship men's tournament with a 1-0 win over Hong Kong, China on Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agencies reported.

The goal came in the 67th minute when Hong Kong's clearance was blocked, and the rebound fell for Tan Long who hit in a first-time strike. China concluded the tournament with four points, while Hong Kong suffered three consecutive defeats, said Xinhua.

Striker Matthew Orr almost equalized in the 91st minute, but his close range effort was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper Han Jiaqi, said Hong Kong-based media RTHK.

China had dominated possession in the first half, when midfielder Tsun Dai - who represented Hong Kong at youth level - made a number of key passes that led to chances, RTHK said.

Early in the game, China's midfielder Jiang Shenglong was left unmarked off a corner, but his header was cleared off the line by left-back Leung Kwun-chung, it said.

Hong Kong's Orr forced a finger-tip save from Han moments before halftime with an effort from inside the box.

Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen said he was satisfied with his players' performance, saying they had a good game and were unlucky not to score.

"Tactically, we had defending, we had pressure, we won the ball many times high up in the field, created lots of chances," he said.

China manager Aleksandar Jankovic said he felt his team didn't perform well and had trouble keeping their energy levels up late on. But he said that was understandable because the players were tired after playing three games in eight days, said RTHK.

Agencies