On January 6, the national football team ended their previous two defeats with a 6-2 thrashing of local side Gulf Heroes in the UAE warm-up match. In this game, Zhang Yuning, the striker of Guoan Club, performed exceptionally well and scored a hat trick, reversing the previous sluggish situation of the national football team in one fell swoop. This Sunday, the national team will fly to Qatar to officially start the Asian Cup.
This news undoubtedly relieved many national football fans. In the past month, the performance of the national football team in the training camp and warm-up matches was not satisfactory, losing 0-2 to the Oman team, and even unexpectedly losing 0-1 to the Hong Kong team in the latest warm-up match, which caused widespread doubts about the strength of head coach Jankovic and the national football team. The two consecutive defeats have had a negative impact on the morale of the team, and the Asian Cup is in a hurry in North Africa, and the national football team urgently needs a confidence boost and a recovery in form.
According to reports, the warm-up match against the Gulf Heroes was not made public, and we know very little about the specific style of play and on-court performance. But judging from the score of 6-2, the national football team won a beautiful victory. In addition to Zhang Yuning's hat-trick, Wei Shihao, Wu Lei and Li Lei also made their own contributions. The backline still needs to be strengthened, and two penalties were tackled by the opponent, but overall, this big win is a good boost for the national team.
Zhang Yuning's outstanding performance is particularly noteworthy. The veteran has been the subject of controversy before, with his age and form in question. Scoring a hat-trick in a national team match is a testament to the fact that he still has great moments. In the first game of the Asian Cup against Tajikistan, Zhang Yuning is very likely to start, and if he can maintain his current form, he will become the biggest threat to the national football team's forwards.
Of course, we also have to be aware that the Gulf Heroes are only local teams in the UAE's lower tiers. It is gratifying to be able to defeat such an opponent, but there is still a distance from the main match of the Asian Cup, which will truly test the strength of the national football team. The previous defeats with Oman and Hong Kong, China have fully demonstrated that there is still a lot of room for improvement in the overall strength and stability of the current national football team. Head coach Jankovic is under tremendous pressure, and his management and adjustment during the training camp and preparation will play a decisive role in the final results of the national football team.
According to reports, after the defeat to Hong Kong, China, Jankovic canceled the national football team's vacation, strengthened normal training and added additional physical and technical and tactical training to stimulate the fighting spirit of the players. The players are also deeply aware of the seriousness of the problem, and there has been a significant rebound in their state. With the start of the Asian Cup just around the corner, all members of the national football team need to keep a hungry mindset and continue to improve themselves during the trip to Qatar in order to expect an ideal result.
In the group stage of this Asian Cup, the Chinese team is in the same group as Tajikistan, Lebanon and the host Qatar. In the first game against Tajikistan, the two sides maintained a winning record of 4 wins and 1 draw in the historical duel between the Chinese team, but looking at the Tajikistan team's recent victory over Hong Kong, China, the strength should not be underestimated. For the national football team, the first game is crucial and must be won with all their might.
The goal of the Chinese team in this Asian Cup is to reach the top 8, which is the same as the previous one. Considering the long-term record of the national football team, this goal seems more conservative and reasonable. But fans still hope to see a hard-working national football team, give enough pressure to the opponent, and continue to break through themselves.
Compared with last year's World Cup qualifiers, the pressure and expectation of public opinion in this Asian Cup are significantly reduced. But for the national team, every game is a matter of national football honour, and you must do your best to meet it. At the beginning of the new year, the national football team must fight the water and regain confidence and fighting spirit. Let's look forward to their great performance in Qatar!