Chinese keeper Zeng Cheng (No.1) was kicked in the neck by South Korea's Seo Dong-hyeon on Wednesday. Photo: CFP

 

China's goalkeeper Zeng Cheng, who was the star man in holding South ­Korea with a scoreless draw in Wednesday's 2013 EAFF (East Asian Football Federation) East Asian Cup match, was ­rewarded for his exploits with a solid gold medal from his club Guangzhou ­Evergrande on Thursday.

Hong Myung-bo's team was the ­better side at the Hwaseong Stadium on Wednesday, creating several chances only to be denied by Zeng's fine saves.

South Korean media were com­plaining before the match that the ­Chinese national team's ­roughness would do harm to their players, ­according to Guangzhou-based ­Soccer News newspaper, but Wednesday's match saw the Taegeuk Warriors commit more fouls than the Chinese side, including a ­terrible kick to the Team China No.1's neck.

The goalkeeper said Thursday of that foul that "I just wanted to hold on to the ball at that time, with no thinking of how dangerous it would be. After the injury, the only thing I wanted was to stand up as soon as possible."

A soccer fan said on his Sina Weibo on Thursday that "Zeng's performance was absolutely first-class, but it also showed our defenders didn't play well."

The Guangzhou-based soccer club announced its rules for the club's internationals on July 11, saying that the three best performers in the national team will be awarded a gold medal based on the club's assessment of their performance.

But the club didn't reward any of their seven players who featured in the national team's game against Japan on Sunday, as the club chairman Xu Jiayin insisted no one met his satisfaction.

The club also punishes the worst performer, with the player facing a 100,000 yuan ($16,300) fine. Guangzhou Ever­grande has not ­announced which ­players face the ­punishment for either the Japan or South Korea games.

Global Times