NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- China and Iran played out a goalless draw in the second round of the men's football group stage at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday, leaving China second in the group with four points.
China opened its campaign with a 2-1 victory over the DPRK on Wednesday, while Iran beat the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 3-1 to lead Group B on goal difference.
In the battle for top spot, China adopted a counter-attacking approach in the first half as Iran enjoyed the majority of possession. Neither side managed to create a clear-cut chance, with China's three shots and Iran's four attempts all failing to hit the target.
China came out more aggressively after the break. In the 49th minute, Wang Yudong unleashed a powerful long-range shot that was denied by the Iran goalkeeper.
Wang then delivered a corner that found Wu Xi, whose first-time volley bounced off the crossbar.
In the 56th minute, Wang spotted the goalkeeper off his line and tried his luck with a long-range lob from midfield, but the ball went narrowly wide.
China's defense was stretched in the last minutes after Zhu Chenjie and Hu Hetao both suffered injuries and were substituted. Iran threatened to snatch a late winner in stoppage time when Masoud Mohebbi broke into the penalty area but saw his shot go wide.
Iran had 68 percent possession and 10 shots with none on target. China had six shots, with one on target.
Both teams now have four points and occupy the top two positions in the group.
"We played a great game. The team performed very well in terms of organization, attitude, intensity and many details. Without this kind of effort, it would be difficult to compete against a team of Iran's level. I am proud of the whole team's performance," said China head coach Antonio Puche Vicente.
China will face the UAE in its final group match next Wednesday. A draw would be enough for China to secure qualification for the knockout stage.
"There's no weak team in this group, and the next game will also be a difficult one," Puche said. "The first thing we have to do is [to] prepare well for the next game and play and organize it well. We won't think about what comes after qualifying from the group." ■
