Nagoya (Japan), Sept. 26 -- China reached the semifinal of the men's football tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for the first time in 28 years after beating Thailand 3-0 in the quarterfinal on Saturday.
Peng Xiao forced an own goal before Hu Hetao and Zhang Yuning added a goal apiece as China secured a convincing victory and booked a semifinal clash next Wednesday against South Korea, which advanced to the last four with a 4-0 victory over Vietnam.
China topped Group B with one win and two draws, while Thailand finished second in Group A with two wins and one defeat.
China head coach Antonio Puche had fielded exactly the same starting lineup in all three group matches but made four changes for the quarterfinal.
The changes also...