by sportswriter Xiao Shiyao and Wang Haizhou
OSAKA, Japan, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's young forward Wang Yudong said Wednesday that he hopes to take the next step in his career by playing in Europe after testing himself against South Korea's European-based players in the men's football semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
China lost 2-1 to South Korea in the semifinal despite taking an early lead through Wang.
"I feel the gap between us and the top Asian teams is narrowing," the 20-year-old said after the match. "Physically, I believe we are comparable to South Korea. Tactically, we performed well in this game and did not give them many clear chances."
Wang also highlighted South Korea's Eom Ji-sung, who plays for Swansea City in the English second-tier Championship and operates in a similar position.
"South Korea's No. 7 plays in the same position as me and has a similar style," Wang said. "His movement and decision-making on the ball are really impressive. After all, he is playing in the English Championship, and there is still a lot I can learn from him."
The experience has strengthened Wang's desire to try in European football.
"I think the first thing is to take that step and give it a try," Wang said when asked about his future. "No matter what, I want to experience life and the rhythm of football outside China. Once you go abroad, you have to rely on your own."
Asked whether this year would be the right time for him to move overseas, Wang said there were many factors to consider.
"There are many things that need to be taken into consideration, so we have to look at everything as a whole," he said. "If there is an opportunity, I will definitely take that step. Once you take that step, I think things will become much better."
Reflecting on the semifinal, Wang said China had performed well and believed South Korea's high press was not as intense as expected.
"I personally think we played a very good game," he said. "We found that South Korea's high press was not that aggressive, so we were able to keep possession and move the ball around better."
"Football requires both ability and a bit of luck, and it's a shame that we couldn't win," he added.
South Korea scored the winning goal in the 82nd minute. Wang said China's late push for an equalizer was their only option.
"Their second goal came quite late, so all we could do was throw everything forward," he said. "As for Zhang Yuning's final shot, I think it should have been a penalty."
China will play the loser of the other semifinal between Japan and Uzbekistan in the bronze-medal match on Saturday. Wang remains confident that the team can finish the tournament with a medal.
"Our overall goal is definitely to take a medal home," he said. ■
