2002 FIFA World Cup (tm) Finals - Results & Fixtures - China vs Costa Rica

4 Jun 2002


China	0 - 2	Costa Rica
	(HT: 0 - 0)

Game Details
Venue Gwangju World Cup Stadium	Attendance 27217
Referee Kyros Vassaras (GRE) Assistant Referees Carlos Matos (POR) Jaap Pool (NED)

Game Events
#	Date	Player	Event	Period	Mins	H/A
1	4 Jun 2002	Luis Marin	Yellow Card	First Half	15	A
2	4 Jun 2002	Mauricio Solis	Yellow Card	First Half	17	A
3	4 Jun 2002	Sun Jihai	Player Out	First Half	26	H
4	4 Jun 2002	Qu Bo	Substitute In	First Half	26	H
5	4 Jun 2002	Rolando Fonseca	Player Out	Second Half	12	A
6	4 Jun 2002	Hernan Medford	Substitute In	Second Half	12	A
7	4 Jun 2002	Li Tie	Yellow Card	Second Half	15	H
8	4 Jun 2002	Roland Gomez	Goal	Second Half	16	A
9	4 Jun 2002	Mauricio Wright	Goal	Second Half	20	A
10	4 Jun 2002	Yang Chen	Player Out	Second Half	21	H
11	4 Jun 2002	Su Maozhen	Substitute In	Second Half	21	H
12	4 Jun 2002	Harold Wallace	Player Out	Second Half	25	A
13	4 Jun 2002	Steven Bryce	Substitute In	Second Half	25	A
14	4 Jun 2002	Xu Yunlong	Yellow Card	Second Half	27	H
15	4 Jun 2002	Fan Zhiyi	Player Out	Second Half	29	H
16	4 Jun 2002	Yu Genwei	Substitute In	Second Half	29	H
17	4 Jun 2002	Li Xiaopeng	Yellow Card	Second Half	32	H
18	4 Jun 2002	Roland Gomez	Yellow Card	Second Half	34	A
19	4 Jun 2002	Paulo Wanchope	Player Out	Second Half	35	A
20	4 Jun 2002	Wilmer Lopez	Substitute In	Second Half	35	A
21	4 Jun 2002	Walter Centeno	Yellow Card	Second Half	40	A

Match report

China's long-awaited World Cup debut ended in a 2-0 defeat against Group C rivals Costa Rica. China, playing their first match in the finals' 72-year history, were sunk by two second-half goals in four minutes by Costa Rica attacker Ronald Gomez and Mauricio Wright. The result spoilt the party for China's travelling army of around 15,000 fans among a crowd of 27,217 at the 40,000-capacity Gwangju Stadium. China coach Bora Milutinovic said he was disappointed with the result but had not given up hope ahead of his team's final two matches against mighty Brazil and Turkey.
"I would have liked to start with a different result but it was not to be," said Milutinovic, who has now coached a record five countries - including Costa Rica in 1990 - at different World Cups stretching back to 1986.
"We played well but it wasn't enough," the veteran Serb added.
"What can you do if you lose a game like this? They had two kicks at the goal and scored two goals.
"But if you cannot accept that, you should not be at the World Cup."
To add to Milutinovic's worries, talismanic defender Sun Jihai, who hobbled off the field with an ankle injury after 25 minutes, could miss China's match against Brazil on June 8.
"It is very difficult to play for four days after such an injury," Milutinovic said, although refusing to predict whether the Manchester City star could return in time. Nonetheless, the coach refused to be pessimistic about China's chances, saying the team's chances of reaching the second round were "difficult" but not impossible.
"This is a World Cup. We have got two more games and it's football - so no-one knows exactly what will happen," he added. One of Milutinovic's former charges at the 1990 tournament, Costa Rican striker Hernan Medford, praised the Chinese efforts.
"We are very happy, as it was a difficult game, China are very tough," he said. Gomez's 61st-minute goal came after Costa Rica managed to penetrate what up to then had been a solid Chinese defence, expertly marshalled by veteran centre-half Fan Zhiyi. A Gomez back-heel to Paulo Wanchope on the edge of the area ended with the Manchester City player dispossessed with a firm Wu Chengying tackle. But the ball fell only as far as Gomez, who calmly curled his shot beyond Jiang Jin. Gomez was involved in the second goal moments later, turning his marker on the edge of the area and crossing to Mauricio Wright to glance a downward header past Jiang. Gomez should have added a third in injury-time, but took too long to get a shot in after rounding Jiang, his effort being cleared off the line. China attempted to up the tempo after the two goals but were unable to put the Costa Ricans under sustained pressure.
Costa Rica had almost taken the lead in the first half, only to be denied by a superb save from Jiang. A pass from midfield opened up space behind China's back four, Mauricio Solis brushed off the covering challenge of central defender Li Weifeng and raced through on goal. The Costa Rican midfielder's shot was low and firm but Jiang blocked brilliantly to head off the danger. That effort aside, neither Jiang nor his Costa Rican counterpart Erick Lonniss had much to do in a low-key first half where both teams struggled to eke out scoring opportunities. Sun's Manchester City team-mate Wanchope was also unable to break down a well-drilled Chinese defence, a header which drifted wide his only notable effort on goal in the first half. Costa Rica had also seen Luis Marin booked in the 15th minute for bringing down Eintracht Frankfurt's Yang Chen, with referee Kyros Vassaras brandishing four more yellows after the break. The second half looked to be following a similar pattern to the first until Costa Rica's goal-burst, and thereafter the Central American qualifiers looked comfortable as China tired.

(courtesy of dailysoccer)




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Page created by Christakis Ioannou on 4 June 2002 23:12:23.