"Why Wasn't VAR Checked?" China Erupts After 1-2 Loss to South Korea... 'South Korea Team·Referee' Rises to No. 10 on Trending Searches [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] After delivering a brutal tackle that left an opponent with a bloody nose, China blamed the referee after losing. Chinese football showed its true colors on the road to a fourth consecutive Asian Games title, combining poor sportsmanship and "Shaolin football" with brazen blame-shifting after the match.
The South Korea national under-23 football team, led by coach Lee Min-sung, defeated China 2-1 in the men's soccer semifinal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on the 30th.
The problem was China's shameless reaction after the match. Frustrated after failing to reach the final for the first time in 28 years, China shifted the blame to an unrelated issue: the referee's decisions.

Immediately after the match, prominent Chinese football journalist Ma Dexing told Chinese outlet Zhiboba that a late incident inside South Korea's penalty area appeared to show that "the ball hit a Korean player's arm," adding, "It is very strange that VAR did not intervene." The claim was a one-sided argument that China should have been awarded a penalty, despite the referee's decision not to call one.
The conspiracy theory set Weibo ablaze. According to Chinese media, immediately after the match, the search terms "Asian Games China football vs. South Korea (No. 7)" and "Asian Games China football 1-2 South Korea (No. 8)" were followed by "South Korea team·referee," which also climbed to No. 10 on the real-time search rankings, openly expressing anger over the officiating.
But this was a blatant case of hypocrisy. China was the side that benefited from favorable officiating for all 90 minutes.

Referee Sadullo Gulmurodi of Tajikistan, who officiated the match, was exceedingly lenient toward China's rough play.
No cards were shown when Hwang Do-yun of Seoul was struck in the face by an opponent's elbow and began bleeding from the nose, when Choi Seok-hyun of Ulsan was blatantly pushed over inside the penalty area, or when dangerous tackles with the soles of the feet raised were repeatedly made. It was so baffling that commentator Lee Young-pyo let out an incredulous laugh and said, "He's really holding back from showing a card for that. It can't be easy for a referee to hold back."
South Korea crushed China 2-1 on merit alone, ending the celebrations of a Chinese side that had been thrilled to score its first goal against South Korea in 40 years.
There was no official acknowledgment of a wrong call and no reversal of any decision. After spending all 90 minutes engaged in a "mixed martial arts fight" under the referee's lenient gaze, China lost because it was outplayed. Its final excuse was a pathetic refrain about VAR.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter