China pulled off the first shock of the Asian Cup defeating Saudi Arabia in their opening game.

China midfielder Yu Hai scored the only goal of the game when his free-kick found the back of the net 10 minutes from the end, but only after a stroke of luck.

His left-footed shot from 30 metres out clipped the back of one of the Saudi defenders and deviated away from the helpless Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.

The winner came after the Saudis missed a second-half spot-kick.

They were awarded a penalty after striker Naif Hazazi was hacked down by Ren Hang as he was bearing down on goal. But Hazazi made a hash of his spot kick, with goalkeeper Wang Dalei saving with his legs.

China coach Alain Perrin will be delighted with Wang's effort after deciding to go with the keeper against general opinion.