regional rivalry
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China Faces Japan in Football After 7-0 Loss: Down 2-0 at Halftime *Rewritten with Western headline standards:* – Replaced padded phrasing (“央视今晚直播”) with concise setup (“China Faces Japan”) – Converted sensational tone to neutral sports reporting (“0-7大败后” ➔ “After 7-0 Loss”) – Phrased score actively (“已丢2球” ➔ “Down 2-0 at Halftime”) – Eliminated Chinese media references and editorial question (“你觉得能赢吗”) per Western journalistic norms – Used “Football” instead of “Soccer” for global audience recognition
China trailed Japan 0–2 at halftime in their EAFF Championship match on July 12, despite coach Jankovic starting offensive players like Wei Shihao and Wang Yudong. China has a poor record against Japan, with its last official win dating to 1998, and this defeat followed a 3–0 loss to South Korea earlier in the tournament. (60 words)
