An over-excited World Cup fan in China was stabbed after hugging a female stranger to celebrate a goal, a news report said on Monday.

The fan was watching the World Cup at a barbecue stand in China's Shandong province Saturday morning and hugged the woman in excitement after Switzerland scored against South Korea.

He was stabbed and left in a coma by an unknown assailant after the spur-of-the-moment embrace, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

Tens of millions of people in China are watching World Cup matches live in the early hours of the morning, even though China did not qualify for the tournament in Germany.

At least six people in the nation of 1.3 billion have dropped dead of excitement or stress after staying up to see late-night games, official media reported last week.