China beat Thailand 3-0 for bronze in 1998, and they have beaten them 3-0 again to reach the Asian Games semi-finals
China are in the last four of the Asian Games men’s football for the first time in 28 years, and hosts Japan joined them with a 1-0 win over North Korea.
Sep 26, 2026
The last time China reached an Asian Games men’s football semi-final, in Bangkok in 1998, they lost it 1-0 to Iran and then beat the hosts Thailand 3-0 for bronze. On Saturday at Toyota Stadium they beat Thailand 3-0 again, this time in the quarter-finals, and the reward is a semi-final against South Korea, who have won the last three titles.
Japan joined them later in the day. Brian Nwadike scored the only goal against North Korea in the 39th minute, in front of 18,912 at the same ground, and the hosts now play Uzbekistan for a place in the final.
Two goals either side of half-time
Thailand held out for 45 minutes and then conceded twice in about three. In first-half stoppage time, Wu Xi’s free kick from the right was pushed out by goalkeeper Chommaphat Boonloet and the rebound went in off a Thai defender. Two minutes after the restart, Hu Hetao hit a hard shot through after Kuai Jiwen’s cross was blocked. Zhang Yuning, one of three over-age players in the squad along with Wu Xi and Zhu Chenjie, finished it on 63 minutes, turning in a Zhu header from close range.
This China team is mostly the one that reached the final of the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in January, with those three senior players added. Coach Antonio Puche said his side had shown “a very high level in terms of running, competing, attacking and defending”.
Japan get past North Korea again
Japan and North Korea met at the same stage in Hangzhou in 2023, and Japan won that one 2-1 with a late penalty that North Korea’s players protested furiously. This time one goal did it. Nwadike’s first-half strike stood, and North Korea did not find an equaliser.
The other two quarter-finals were played in Nagoya on Friday. South Korea beat Vietnam 4-0, with Lee Young-jun scoring twice, and Uzbekistan beat Saudi Arabia 3-0.
Semi-finals on Wednesday in Osaka
Both semi-finals are at Nagai Stadium in Osaka on 30 September. South Korea play China at 3pm local time (11.30am IST), and Japan face Uzbekistan at 7.30pm (4pm IST).
China have the harder draw. South Korea have won all three of their games in Japan, conceding once, and a title in Osaka would be their fourth in a row. For China, just getting to the last four has ended a 28-year wait, and a win on Wednesday would guarantee them at least silver.