The Great Wall of China, which aimed to advance to the quarterfinals or higher. However, they were “paper tigers” and the round of 16 is becoming a dream. China lost 0-1 to Qatar in the final Group A match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 23rd (Korea time).
China had two draws and one loss, and it failed to score a single goal and allowed one point. Qatar, Tajikistan, and Lebanon were not easy to deal with because they cannot afford to expect international competitiveness anymore. Even so, it is shocking that they have not scored a single goal. 사설 토토사이트
Of course, China was unstable even in the preparation process before the Asian Cup. The Chinese team showed poor performance as they lost to both Oman and Hong Kong right before the Asian Cup. Including the loss at the previous match against the Republic of Korea, they lost for three consecutive games. They were in the worst preparation state.
Nevertheless, China had high expectations for the Chinese team to advance to the quarterfinals or higher. As China advanced to the quarterfinals for the second time in a row at the 2015 and 2019 competitions, it expressed confidence and ambition to look beyond that.”
However, this was the case in China’s decline in the Asian Cup. Against Tajikistan, he struggled, allowing 20 shots, and his header goal in the second half was canceled due to Zhang Guangtai’s offside.
Later, the match against Lebanon ended in a draw, and Qatar, which provided a break from its main power, lost consecutive opportunities to score and destroyed itself. Then, it collapsed as Afif’s corner kick and Al Haidos’ volley shot lost a point.
This is the first Asian Cup tournament in China’s history since 1976 that failed to score a single goal. If eliminated from the group league, it would be the first time that a team failed to win a single match. In addition, it will be the first time for a team to be eliminated from the group league in 13 years since 2011.
Currently, China has yet to decide to drop out of the group stage. It is holding on to its last hope as third place in Group A. The number of cases is not small, but the most important thing among them is that it should be in the top four of the third place in each group.
As of now, when only Group A’s schedule has been completed, China is in the third highest position among the third-ranked teams in each group. This means that the other group was pushed back even though it did not even start the final match.
One thing to watch is Group B, C, and F. Currently, Syria, Palestine, and Oman are ranked third in each group. They will play India, Hong Kong, and Kyrgyzstan in their final matches, respectively. In the results of these matches, if China is included in the top four of the top three countries in each group, it will make a miraculous advance to the round of 16. Of course, it is not realistic.
“The situation in the Chinese national team’s group league is very serious. Other competing teams need to earn fewer points or more cards,” Chinese media Sohu said. “In the past, the Chinese national team used to compete in international tournaments by relying on results from other teams to advance to tournaments, but luck may not come this time. A number of favorable conditions must be met at the same time to advance to the round of 16. Given the current situation, there is little hope for the Chinese national team to pass the group league unless a miracle happens.”
The media also criticized coach Aleksandar Yankovic’s leadership and the players’ skills while downplaying China’s chances of making it to the round of 16. He also said that without the improvement of the Chinese national team, the prospects for the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-China World Cup will also be dark.