“We can’t do it”.
“Officials from the Chinese Football Association directly denied their chances of qualifying for the World Cup and talked down their chances of qualifying, saying they were in a position where they shouldn’t expect anything, saying ‘the third qualifying round is our World Cup,’” China’s Zibo.com reported on Monday (Aug. 8).China will face Australia in the third match of Group C of the third qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America. Both matches are must-win situations for both teams. If either team loses these games, it will effectively jeopardize their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
First, China, the underdogs in Group C, have lost two straight games. Most notably, they lost their first match against Japan on September 5, 0-7, as they were completely unable to stop their opponents. Then, in the second game at home against Saudi Arabia, 토토사이트 추천 they lost 1-2 despite having an opponent sent off early on.
Australia is also unsettled. First, they lost 0-1 to Bahrain at home in the first leg and then drew 0-0 away to Indonesia in the second leg. That’s two consecutive games without a goal and one point. Graham Arnold was sacked as coach
In the chaotic Group C, Japan leads with six points after two straight wins and Saudi Arabia is second with four points. Third and fourth place goes to the Asian playoffs. Australia is fifth with one point and China is sixth with zero points, so both teams are in need of points. China will face Australia-Indonesia in the October A match.
However, expectations are very slim for the Aussies. In fact, the rest of the schedule makes it very unlikely that China will finish in third or fourth place. “Plus, China has a lot of injuries, including Wu Lei, so they are not at full strength,” Zbo.com pointed out.
Even more than the blowout loss to Japan, it was the game against Saudi Arabia that shocked China. At home, China took a 1-0 lead on an own goal in the 14th minute of the first half before a defender was sent off for a direct red in the 19th minute. However, the team conceded two goals from set pieces (Hassan Qadish in the 39th minute and Hassan Qadish in the 45th minute) to lose 1-2.
Meanwhile, the Chinese national soccer team reportedly changed planes twice to travel to Adelaide, Australia, rather than chartering a flight. A journey that took nearly 20 hours. There are many different theories about this trip. One outlet suggested it was for publicity.
“Chinese soccer is currently in a crisis of unprecedented proportions. The Chinese Football Association is holding its breath to avoid public criticism.“ ‘The reason why they chose to take a private flight instead of a chartered one this time is because they are afraid that the public will say, ’Don’t buy expensive things’,” the source said.
“Of course, Chinese soccer is not doing well. There’s no excuse for losing two A-match games in September. I understand that, but they should at least be treated as professional players.” ”If they win one game, they’re happy, but if they lose two games, that’s exactly what they are. Look at the continuity of soccer in other countries,” he criticized.