Japan successfully defended their East Asian football title on Tuesday, claiming a hard-fought 1-0 victory over tournament hosts South Korea.

The decisive moment came early, with Ryo Germain finding the net in the eighth minute.

This sealed Japan's second consecutive EAFF E-1 Football Championship, with a perfect record of three wins in as many matches.

Their dominant run included a 6-1 thrashing of Hong Kong, China and a 2-0 win against China.

South Korea are second on six points.

The national team came third after a 1-0 win over Hong Kong, China earlier on Tuesday.