Beijing fail to deliver; Spurs win derby

Slides
Photos

By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-30 10:17

Left: Nick Barmby (T) of Hull City battles for the ball against Darko Matic of Beijing Guo'an during their Barclays Asia Trophy match at Workers' Stadium in Beijing yesterday. Hull City won 6-5 after penalty shootout and reached the finals tomorrow. Right: Jermain Defoe (L) of Tottenham Hotspur is challenged by Julien Faubert of West Ham during their Asia Trophy match. Hotspurs won 1-0 and will face Hull City in the finals. [China Daily/Yang Shizhong]

Beijing Guo'an's hopes of upsetting Premier League club Hull City and capturing the Barclays Asia Trophy tomorrow vanished after a disappointing 6-5 loss in a penalty shootout yesterday in Beijing Workers' Stadium.

Zhang Xinxin's shot sailed over the bar in the sixth round of the penalty shootout, sending Hull City into tomorrow's final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Beijing will battle West Ham for a third-place playoff of the four-team preseason tournament.

The Spurs edged West Ham 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from English international Jermain Defoe.

Local reports had trumpeted Beijing's chance of beating Premier League minnows Hull City, which were almost relegated last season. But for the 30,000 or so supporters last night, it was not meant to be.

The local club, however, began with a furious start as Beijing's Cameroonian central-back William Paul Modibo headed a corner that just swept over the bar in the ninth minute.

Hull City responded immediately a minute later as striker Geovanni Gomez found the net in the 10th minute with a brilliant volley into the far post from the edge of the penalty zone.

The English club showed their physical superiority throughout the first half. Geovanni gave Guo'an a scare in the 13th minute as he dribbled right pass the defense but missed with a low shot.

Beijing tried hard to close the net in the rest of the first half but all shot attempts misfired. They did, however, play much better in the second half.

After Modibo found Tao Wei's pass into the target, Guo'an had a chance to seal the victory eight minutes from the finale as teenager Yan Xiangchuang tipped Emil Martinez's pass but banged the post with his shot.

"We controlled the tempo in the second half but we missed out on our opportunities," said Guo'an coach Lee Jang-soo. "It's a good test for our players and we will improve from this match."

The star-studded Spurs are now favored to pick up the trophy with a convincing victory over rivals West Ham.

"It was a terrific workout," said Spurs manager Harry Redknapp. "Defoe looked so sharp it was only a matter of time before he got one. ... The midfield was excellent today. We controlled the middle of the park."

While the Spurs players have already faced two tough matches against Barcelona and Celtic this past weekend at the Wembley Cup tournament, it was the first serious preseason outing for West Ham, who looked sluggish on a hot evening.

"I wasn't expecting anything more really," said West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola. "We have to be quick and sharp in the front but right now we're not. I'll use it to identify problem areas and then improve."