Waiting for the final verdict, the national football team will suspend training today, and when to return to China will depend on whether the hope of qualifying in the end is dashed
After losing to the Qatar team on the evening of January 22 local time, the Chinese team locked the third place in Group A of the Asian Cup with a record of 2 draws and 1 loss, and was dying on the line. It is understood that the Chinese team will no longer arrange training on the 23rd local time, and the whole team will pay attention to the match between the Syrian team and the Indian team in Group B in the afternoon of the same day. If the two teams win or lose the game or score even one goal, then the Chinese team will be out of the tournament. For the return itinerary, the Chinese team also made different emergency plans.
According to the rules of the Asian Cup, the best four third-placed teams in the group will qualify for the round of 16. China's chances of qualifying have been reduced to the lowest point after losing to Qatar, as they are absolutely behind in the competition for the third-place teams in each group.
Prior to this, Indonesia and Bahrain, who were temporarily ranked third in Group D and Group E respectively, had accumulated 3 points in one less round. This means that there are already two third-placed teams in the group that have suppressed the Chinese team in terms of points. Judging from the points and goal data of each group, only if the two conditions of a 0-0 draw between Syria and India in the final round and a draw between Hong Kong, China and Palestine are met at the same time, the Chinese team will have a chance to qualify. In addition, the Syrian team currently has one less yellow card than the Chinese team. In other words, only if the Syrian team receives more than one yellow card in the final round of the group stage, the Chinese team can qualify.
According to the plan, the Chinese team will no longer arrange any training on the 23rd. However, the team's coaches, team members and a considerable number of international players will pay close attention to the two games that will determine the fate of their team's qualification that day local time. Among them, the match between Syria and India in Group B will kick off at 2:30 p.m. local time. As long as the two sides score a goal in this game, then the Chinese team will be out of the game. And even if the two sides exchanged blanks in this game, and the Syrian team received more than one yellow card, then the Chinese team still has to wait for the result of the match between Hong Kong, China and Palestine that night. Only if the two sides draw, then the Chinese team can qualify.
It is precisely because the possibility of the national football team qualifying is very small, that the Chinese team has to make plans for the next schedule. For example, once the goals are scored in the Syrian-Indian match on the 23rd local time, the Chinese team can leave for China early that night.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily, Doha, Qatar Special correspondent Xiao Yun