Sweden Routs China 3-0 to Win King's CupSweden lifted the 32nd King's Cup in Bangkok as they cruised to a perfect 3-0 win over China in the final on Saturday.Sweden, held to 2-2 by China in their first meeting on February 12, scored all the three goals within 20 minutes in the first half. The Chinese team, unrecognizable from the side which routed Thailand 5-1 three days ago, went into the match sluggishly and was undermined when its midfielder Li Tie went out because of injury two minutes after kickoff. Mattias Johnson drove a 25-meter shot to score the opener in the 4th minute. Only seven minutes later, Tobias Linderoth extended the lead with a header from a corner. Inspired by the unexpected two early goals, the Swedes dominated the match and created a lot of chances. Stefan Selavokic made it three when he received a cross at far post and poked into the goal very easily. Chinese defender Li Weifeng said after the game that the two speedy goals by the Swedes and Li Tie's withdrawal had cast shadow over his teammates. But he argued that it was not their fault for the loss. "If we had been successful in some small points, the result might be changed." Lars Largerbeck, the Swedish coach hailed his team's performance as "perfect", and admitted that his team was lucky because the Chinese side was not in the best shape. China's Yugoslav head coach Bora Milutinovic said he was satisfied because his players tried their best throughout the game. "The goals from the Swedish team are very good," he said. "I am sure my players can learn a lot from this valuable match." Host Thailand stunned Qatar 2-0 in the 3rd-place play-off earlier. |
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