TAEGU (South Korea), Aug 7: China beat North Korea 2-0 on Sunday to win the East Asia soccer championship -– a tournament that had strong diplomatic overtones at a tense time for the region because of the North’s nuclear weapons ambitions. National teams from China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea played in men’s and women’s events at three venues in South Korea from July 31 to Aug 7.

The men’s championship was still open going into Sunday’s last two matches. Each team had three matches and whoever topped the table was the winner.

North Korea, who have never won a tournament, were ahead on points and put pressure on China in their last match in the stadium where South Korea lost to Turkey in the third place play-off in the 2002 World Cup.

But the North Koreans ultimately succumbed to the more organised Chinese team through a 13th minute penalty, scored by Li Yan, and then a close-range 67th minute goal from Xie Hue.

South Korea then needed to win by at least three clear goals against Japan in the final match. But fellow World Cup qualifiers Japan surprised them with an 85th minute strike from Nakazawa Yuji that went against the flow of play.

Japan and South Korea — both opting not to field European-based players — finished third and fourth in the table behind two countries that failed to reach the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.

South Korea’s women fared better, sealing victory in their event on Thursday to become the first East Asian women’s champions when they beat North Korea 1-0. On Saturday, they drew 0-0 with Japan in their final match.—Reuters