(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-24 09:16

CHONGQING, Southwest China - Host China failed to defend the title at the third four-nation East Asian Football Championship despite rallying to beat DPR Korea 3-1 here on Saturday night.

China's striker Wang Dong (L) shoots during the match between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) Men's Championship 2008 in Chongqing, southwest China, on Feb. 23, 2008. China won 3-1. [Xinhua]

South Korea was crowned with one win, two ties, scoring five times and conceding four goals. Japan finished second with also one win, two ties and the same goal difference with South Korea. But Japan scored only three goals in three matches.

In the China-DPR Korea game, Zhu Ting's dramatic equalizer, Wang Dong's tricky shot and Hao Junmin's free kick dragged the defending champion back from a possible humiliating three straight defeats.

The consolation win also helped the Serbia Dujkovic's side regain some courage for the oncoming World Cup qualifier against Australia on March 26.

With fighting spirit, DPR Korea created much trouble to the host team, who had suffered an embarrassing two straight losses with low morale and had to face opponent's acute offence without their leading center back Li Weifeng. China's captain was sidelined with two yellow cards in the previous two matches.

However, the home side seized an unexpected control in the early first half, posing great pressure to the rivals' defence with sharp poke-in from two wings especially the energetic left midfielder Du Zhenyu.

The thundering cheers from fanatic 30,000 crowds came in the 12th minute when Liu Jian blasted a deflecting shot to the dead corner, but the Iranian referee whistled it off for offside.

The visitors, who focused on defense most of the time, took a surprising lead in the 34th minute when winger Ji Yun Nan beat China's left back Sun Xiang in the area and delivered a powerful angled shot into the far corner. It was DPR Koreans' first shot in the match.

Zhu Ting's cool equalizer one minute before the interval showed the defending champion's ambition to grasp the first victory of the tournament. His right wing partner Qu Bo set up the 23-year-old national promising forward with low cross to lob in the dead corner before deceiving the keeper Ri Myong Guk.

The home side took the lead in the 54th minute when midfielder Wang Dong made an follow-up in time and made an angled low shot on his teammates' hidden cross.

The defending champions made the last hit in injury time when right winger Hao Junmin's fantastic curve free kick found the far corner of the net.

In an earlier match, South Korea was held 1-1 by Japan, leading the standings of the round-robin format tournament, and got the 500,000 U.S. dollars prize.

Japan finished as the runner-up for the third time. China stood third with one win and two losses while DPR Korea fell to the bottom with two draws and one defeat.