The match opened with both teams equally advancing and retreating. In the 1st minute, Japan grabbed a chance-Yanagida took the free kick and aimed at the goal.The ball was almost caught by the goalie but bounced loose, and Yanagida tried to play the loose ball into the net. In the 8th minute, across from the right went to China PR's Bi Yan, who tries to head the ball into the goal. In the 27th minute, China PR's Ji Ting received a pass on the left side inside the penalty area and flicked the ball on to Han Duan, who came dashing in to attempt a right-foot shot.

Then Japan took control for a while, pushing the final line forward close to the center line area to play a compact formation, launching an exhaustive attempt at pressing from the front line. This tactic invited China'spassing errors, and Japan stole the ball at relatively high positions. Shots were attempted from inside the penalty area by Ando (30th min.) and Otani (31st min.), and in the 36th minute Sawa thrust a mid-rage shot just outside the penalty area.

Japan's attack continued in the second half, but they just couldn't finish. Replacements were made in the 69th minute (Miyama) and the 75th minute (Ohno). Ohno woke up Japan's offense with break-throughs into the penalty area using fast plays and sharp dribbles. However, none of Japan's shots were accurate enough to find the goal, for the exception of a just-missed right-foot delivery by Sawa during extra time.

Forced to play mostly on the defensive, some of China PR's players experienced cramps in their legs and dropped to the ground, but as head coach Pei Encai described, "The team has the ability to overcome any difficulties." Other than FW Teng Wei, who went in at the 58th minute as a replacement, China PR defended their goal with the same members. A big chance arrived in the 89th minute-confirming that the Japanese goalkeeper was positioned a few steps away from the goal, Teng Wei released a loop shot from about 30 meters away from the goal, but the ball went wide to the left.

In total, Japan made 14 attempts at the goal and China 7, with the match ending in a scoreless draw. In the post-match interview, Japan's head coach O-hashi commented, "I am happy because our team played a better game than the Korea DPR match despite having only a single rest day. We were not able to score any goals, which means in order to beat the world's best teams, we must work on our tactics and individual skills."