On November 20th, in last night’s World Cup qualifier, the national team lost 1-3 to Japan at home. After the match, commentator Zhan Jun updated his social media to comment on the national team’s performance.
The score reflects the true strength of both sides. The national team has an obvious weakness in set-piece defense, but they have made significant progress compared to the first round. In particular, in the away victory over Bahrain and the loss to the highly skilled Japanese team, the national team, whether starting or coming off the bench, consisted entirely of Chinese players without relying on naturalized players. They managed to score two well-executed goals through ground play, which is commendable. Moreover, in this match, Wei Shihao had a well-coordinated attack with Zhang Yuning, resulting in a tricky shot. The goal for the 2024 national team is to advance to the 18-team tournament. After six matches, they have stabilized their approach, formed a basic playing style, and maintained hope of finishing in the top four. This also provided young players like Xie Weng and Hu Hetao with valuable experience and demonstrated their tenacious fighting spirit. Not bad!
This 18-team tournament started with three consecutive losses, which easily led to pessimism and concerns about the national team falling into a cycle of frequent coaching changes. Fortunately, in the past three matches, the national team’s offense has shown flexibility with a mix of short and long passes. They have fully committed to high-intensity pressing in every game, boosting their morale. Several newcomers who have emerged in the Chinese Super League have gained valuable experience in the high-level qualifiers and are growing rapidly, building their confidence. Apart from Japan, the other five teams in the group are only one point apart, so everyone has a chance to compete for qualification, but no one can be certain. Don’t underestimate yourselves; fight hard in every match!
