In 2024, the Chinese men's football team experienced a catastrophic defeat in the Asian Cup, leaving fans with a dead heart.
But at the beginning of the Year of the Eight, they will face another challenge – World Cup qualifying. This Year of the Dragon is destined to be extraordinary, and the Chinese men's football team is facing a historical trough and a new starting point.
2024, the Year of the Dragon, should be a year full of hope for Chinese. In football, the Chinese men's football team suffered a huge setback in the Asian Cup.
They lost all three games and did not score a goal, becoming a laughing stock in the history of the Asian Cup. This Year of the Dragon seems to have befallen the Chinese football team with the breath of disaster.
But just as there is always a dawn after nightfall, the Chinese men's football team did not bask in the shadow of defeat, and turned their attention to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Looking back on the past few decades, the Chinese men's football team has had glorious moments, especially after successfully qualifying for the World Cup in 2022, people's expectations and confidence in Chinese football have reached a peak.
In the years that followed, they never made any major breakthroughs, and their frequent defeats in the Asian arena became a pain point in the hearts of fans.
In the round of 36 of the Asian zone of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Chinese men's football team was in the same group as South Korea, Thailand and Singapore, and the first two rounds were lackluster and failed to show the strength they should have.
At a time of uncertainty, the Chinese Football Association has made a significant decision to hire Ivankovic as the new head coach.
This decision has injected new energy and expectations into the team. The arrival of Ivankovic is not only a simple personnel change, but also a decision for the future of Chinese football, a choice about glory and dreams.
Ivankovic knows the situation his team is in, and he has his sights set on solving the team's attacking problems.
By recruiting a number of naturalized players, including strong players such as Exxon and Fernando, he aims to improve the overall strength and competitiveness of the team.
This is not only an optimization of the team's lineup, but also an exploration of the future development direction of Chinese football.
Facing the upcoming match against Singapore, they will continue their past dominance and go all out to secure a victory.
Ivankovic's 23-man roster for the Singapore game has been tweaked in a number of ways to bring new tactical play and line-ups.
Especially in the forward line, they brought in players such as Fernando and Exxon to try to find new breakthroughs in the offensive end.
This change shows the determination and courage of the coaching staff, and also makes the fans look forward to the future of the team.
Against Singapore, the Chinese men's football team has high expectations of a victory, and they are expected to get a crucial victory in this game to lay the foundation for the next match.
Bigger challenges will await them in the future. If they can successfully qualify, the Chinese men's football team will face a more difficult test, and the showdown with the first-class Asian team will be their real tempering road.
The future of the Chinese men's football team is full of uncertainties and challenges, but it is also full of hope and opportunities.
They suffered setbacks in the Year of the Dragon, but at a new beginning, they had the opportunity to redefine themselves and show a new style.
To achieve this, they need more effort and hard work, and nothing is more important than every step under their feet. Looking forward to the Chinese men's football team to usher in new glory!
Born in Croatia in 1954, Branko Ivankovic seems destined for football.
He began his football career in the Yugoslav league with Watex, a name that may have been eclipsed in today's football circles, but back then, it was a surging presence.
The turning point in his career came after retiring from the army. Instead of choosing to stay away from football, he embarked on a different path.
From the players to the staff to the head coach of Watex, along the way, he has written his own legend with sweat and wisdom.
His early career as head coach in the Croatian league and his entry into the Croatian national team as an assistant coach in 1997 were the beginning of his career.
Going abroad, the road to coaching is broader. In the 1999-2000 season, he crossed the country to coach the Bundesliga side Hannover 96, another milestone in his career.
In 2001, he embarked on a journey to conquer Asia and became an assistant coach of the Iranian national team.
Later, after the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, he took over as the head coach of the Iranian national team, and he used his strength and intelligence to earn respect.
In football, glory is an eternal topic. He led Shandong Luneng Taishan team to win the 2010 Chinese Super League championship, which was his glorious moment and a good story in the history of Chinese football.
Winning the 2010 Super League Coach of the Year was a pinnacle of his career, and he proved his worth with strength and results. Life is often full of impermanence.
In 2011, he resigned as the head coach of Shandong Luneng Taishan team for personal reasons, which was a turning point in his career and an indelible regret.
His recent coaching experience has not been satisfactory, and in the 2023 Asian Cup, he suffered a setback with the Oman national men's football team, and had no choice but to leave class, and his former aura seems to have been eclipsed.
The cycle of fate did not knock him down.
In February 2024, the Chinese Football Association announced the appointment of him as the head coach of the Chinese men's football team, which is another new starting point in his career and the beginning of his new journey.
Coaching the national football team is a challenge and an opportunity, and where he will lead the Chinese men's football team is an unknown and an exciting future.