China have defeated South Korea 1 nil in the Athens Olympic qualifiers to advance to the women's soccer tournament of the Athens Games.

The Chinese team under the wing of young head coach Zhang Haitao took the hard-fought victory in the semi-finals of the Asian qualifying series in Hiroshima, Japan on Saturday, thanks to a 75th minute goal by midfielder Qu Feifei.

China earlier beat South Korea 3 nil in their last group match. However, the tournament rules have made them meet again in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, in another semi-final match, hosts Japan stunned Asian champions North Korea 3-0, grabbing another Olympic ticket and joining China in Monday's qualifying tournament final. Japan will play their second Olympics after Atlanta 1996 and China will make their third appearance in Athens.

Eleven Asian teams have been divided into three groups in the preliminary round. The top team from each group and the best runner-up will reach the semi-finals, with the two finalists qualifying for Athens.

By People's Daily Online