Dalian, October 10 (Reporter Bian Liqun) After nearly a month, the national football team once again ushered in the international warm-up match, and will play against the Vietnamese team on the evening of the 10th.
In the last World Preliminary Round, it was the Vietnamese team that completely shattered the last theoretical hope of the national football team to enter the World Cup. On the first day of the new year, a 1:3 defeat not only made Fan Zhiyi's "prophecy" come true, but also triggered a big discussion about football in the whole society. For the national football team, this re-battle is an out-and-out "revenge" battle and a war of proof.
At the pre-match press conference on the 9th, national football coach Jankovic said: "Our past matches with Vietnam are clear, but we should let the players focus on the current game, play according to the established plan, and strive to win the game." ”
Jankovic (second from right) at the pre-match press conference. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
Debuted after "Exchange Blood"
With the Asian Games team ending the competition task, the "blood exchange" task of the national football team finally landed. He Yupeng, Fang Hao and Ye Lijiang, three Asian Games players, were selected for the national football team for the first time.
In addition, Xie Weijun and Ma Zhen, two young players who performed well in the league, were also called up for the first time. After finishing the Asian Games mission, young players such as Dai Weijun, Gao Tianyi, and Zhu Chenjie also returned to the national football team after a long absence.
Compared with the last training in Chengdu, there are 11 players who did not make the national football roster, and the number of veterans aged 30 and above has been reduced to 11, and the average age of the team has dropped to 27.8 years old. The match against Vietnam will be the debut of this new national football team.
Of the new blood in the team, Jankovic said: "There are no new players because we have all worked together before, the players know my style of play and are ready. Of course, there will definitely be some changes compared to the last game. ”
National football training before matches. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
Fight Vietnam again
The Vietnamese team is currently ranked 95th in the world and the national football team is ranked 80th, which is similar in the ranking. In the last World Preliminary Round of 12 stage, the national football team won 3:2 in the first leg, and lost 1:3 away in the second leg, completely missing the World Cup in Qatar. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Fan Zhiyi's "prophecy" came true, triggering a great discussion in the whole society.
Actually, there was a certain serendipity in that game. The then coach Li Xiaopeng had just taken over the national football team and was in the process of groping and running-in, and at that time, the national football team entered the World Cup with only theoretical hope, and the team's morale was at a low point.
Vietnamese football has improved rapidly in recent years, when they were playing at home and were determined to fight for a victory in the round of 12 of the World Qualifiers. It's normal for one loss to lose.
The national football team stepped on the field training before the game. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
This time again, the Vietnamese team lineup has also undergone a relatively big change. The coach is Trusier, an "old acquaintance" of Chinese football, and there are many young players in the squad.
Trusier said that 40% of the players who came to China to participate this time were young players who were selected for the national team for the first time. "Our goal is to reach the next Olympics and the World Cup, so we need to test more players through the match with China."
The Vietnamese team trains on the field before the game. Photo by China News Network reporter Bian Liqun
Can it be "revenge"
The match against Vietnam will be the penultimate warm-up match of the national football team before the World Qualifiers, and it will also be a preview of the first opponent of the World Qualifiers, Thailand.
Compared with the previous training sessions, the preparation time before the national football match is relatively small, only 3 days. Jankovic said: "This will also happen in the main matches of the World Qualifiers against Thailand and South Korea. We've gathered a lot of information, done a lot of preparation, and trained very well. ”
As for the bad memories that the Vietnamese team brought to Chinese football before, Jankovic said that he is clear, but he should focus on the present. 'Every game is important and our first reaction to this one is that we lost to Syria in the last game, so we have to set targets for the two games ahead of us.
"The match was between 11 players on the field. We have to play according to the plan and take the game down. Jankovic said.