DOHA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- With Kuryu Matsuki's early goal, a 10-man Japan team sailed to a 1-0 victory over China in the first round of group stage of the U23 Asian Cup here on Tuesday.
The U23 Asian Cup is also a qualification tournament for the Paris Olympics. The top three finishers at the U23 Asian Cup will directly qualify for the Olympics, while the fourth-placed team will face Guinea in a play-off for the last Olympic spot.
Japan started strongly and broke the deadlock in the eighth minute, when Kuryu Matsuki volleyed home after a diagonal cross pass from Fuki Yamada.
However, nine minutes later, the referee sent Japan's defender Ryuya Nishio off for unsportsmanlike behavior, when he gave an elbow to Chinese midfielder Jia Feifan's face.
In the remaining time, the Chinese side tried to take the advantage of their numerical advantage. Although China got more ball possession back and create many chances, they failed to find an equalizer against the 10-man squad Japan team.
After losing the first game to Japan in group B, the Chinese U23 team will face tough competition with South Korea and the United Arab Emirates on Friday and next Monday.
