In the middle of the night on December 30, Beijing time, the Chinese men's national football team led by Jankovic launched a fierce battle with Oman in Abu Dhabi to prepare for the Asian Cup, but unfortunately lost 0-2, drawing an end to the last game of 2023.
In the first match, the national football team faced regional sports in the third division of the United Arab Emirates, and the players under Jankovic were full of firepower and finally won easily 5-1. Although the opponent's strength is relatively weak, this victory undoubtedly found the tacit understanding and state of the game for the national football forwards, and laid a solid foundation for the sprint of the Asian Cup.
However, Oman is no easy opponent to mess with. The Omani team is ranked ninth in Asia, and its overall strength is comparable to that of the national football team. This is a duel of similar strength, and it is also a pinnacle duel for the national football team to prepare for the Asian Cup. However, the result was heavy for the fans.
Although this game is classified as a FIFA A-level warm-up match, in order to conservative tactics, the national football team has reached a fully closed agreement with Oman, and no form of live video broadcast is allowed. The decision caused quite a bit of controversy in the country, and fans were disappointed that they could not get the latest news via live video.
In the first half, the two sides were evenly matched, and there was no chance to score, and the score remained tied at 0-0. However, the drama in the second half was embarrassing. The national football team's back line was once lost, and in the 49th minute, Oman's Al Shad Allawi scored to help the opponent take a 1-0 lead. In the 65th minute, Ghassani's goal extended the score to 2-0. The national football team's backline has been losing in just 16 minutes, exposing a lack of fitness and tactical problems.
In terms of record, the national football team has a total of 11 A-level matches this year, with 4 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses. In friendly matches, they successfully defeated Myanmar, Palestine and Vietnam, and defeated Thailand in the world preliminary stage, which made fans feel both regretful and deeply encouraged in the final match.
It is worth noting that the national football team will play two warm-up matches next, one of which will be against the Hong Kong men's football team on New Year's Day. This is the debut of the national football team in the new year, and it is also the final sprint for the upcoming Asian Cup. In the face of strong opponents, the national football team urgently needs to sum up lessons, correct problems, and go all out to prepare for the game in order to meet more fierce competition.
Although the defeat in this game is regrettable, we cannot deny that it was also a valuable experience. The problems exposed by the national football team in the game are not only physical, but also related to tactics and teamwork. It was a timely reminder to push the team closer together and prepare for the challenges of the Asian Cup.
However, many fans have doubts about the decision to completely close the game and ban live video broadcasts. In the information age, fans have a strong desire to know how the team is preparing for the game. It also made us wonder if there were other ways to better communicate with fans and enhance fan engagement while being conservative and tactical.
On the whole, although the national football team suffered some hardships in this game, it also took a necessary step for the Asian Cup sprint. In the next warm-up games, we expect the team to learn from the lessons, adjust their form and give it their all. For Chinese football, the Asian Cup is not only a stage to show its strength, but also a moment of both challenges and opportunities. Fans' expectations for the national football team are still high, and I believe that in the new year, the national football team can move forward and ignite the flame of hope for Chinese football again.