People's Daily Commentary: The overall progress of Asian football, why did the national football team fall behind?

On the evening of March 21, the Chinese men's football team failed to take away 3 points in Singapore, drawing 2:2, which also cast dust on the prospects of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Asian preliminaries.

This is the "debut" of the new coach of the national football team, Ivankovic, but it is difficult to say that he is qualified. The "dividends" left by his predecessor Jankovic were also wiped out after this draw.

It should be said that the performance of the two teams in the first and second halves of the national football team is directly related to the on-the-spot command of the Croatian coach.

On March 20, Ivankovic (left) and player Zhang Linpeng attended a press conference.

Judging from the first half of the game, this Singapore team can only be ranked second-rate in Southeast Asia. The Chinese team, which returned to the back 4 system, played handy, Fernando was even more prosperous on the right side, and although Wu Lei missed a penalty, he still scored two goals with an overhead kick.

But surprisingly, Singapore took over the game in the second half. With their fitness declining, China had problems with control and defense in midfield, and Ivankovic's response was not effective. "The changes are mainly to maintain fitness and try to score the third goal. Ivankovic explained after the game.

The starting squad of the Chinese team.

Of course, Ivankovic also has the helplessness of "a good woman is difficult to cook without rice", after Wu Xiwan refused the national team call-up and Li Ke failed to be selected for the 23-man list, looking at the bench, only Gao Tianyi and Cheng Jin, a newcomer to the national football team, who have not yet gained a foothold in Shanghai Shenhua, can serve as the back. In the end, the old coach still used a more radical way to replace the attackers Wei Shihao and Lin Liangming, in addition to the rhetoric of "expanding the score", there are some embarrassments that no one is available.

After striker Zhang Yuning went off injured and the 34-year-old came on in what was China's last substitution. In the whole game, the Chinese team played a total of 14 players, and only 6 players under the age of 30 played. The new coach may be able to make adjustments in terms of technique and tactics, but it cannot change the reality of the national team's personnel being out of gear and lacking talent.

This game was also the first game led by Singapore head coach Tsutomu Ogura. He made two substitutions after the exchange of pitches and used up five substitutions before the 77 minutes. In the end, two substitutes made contributions, and the team got the first point in the group stage of this World Preliminary Tournament.

On the evening of the 21st, the national football team may not be the only disappointing person in the Asian qualifiers. South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Thailand at home, while Syria also drew with Myanmar away from home. Southeast Asian teams, which were not valued by East and West Asia in the past, are breaking out en masse.

As China's group rivals, Thailand pushed China into a corner with a valuable point on the road. If the Chinese team still wants to seize the initiative to qualify, consecutive home wins over Singapore and Thailand are a must.

China's Zhang Linpeng (left) fights with Singapore's Ramli during a match on March 21.

The two draws in the third round of the group stage have also quietly changed the mentality of the teams: Singapore coach Tsutomu Ogura believes that the team should "win in a big comeback" at home, and the Thai team will also have more experience in playing South Korea when they return to their home stadium; Son Xingmin, the "first brother" of the South Korean team, has a serious face after being named the best player of the match, and Zhang Linpeng, the captain of the Chinese team, has the idea of quitting the national team in an interview after the game.

Ivankovic said there were a lot of adjustments to be made when he played Singapore at home on March 26, "such as improving the attacking efficiency, but first of all, getting back to physical condition as soon as possible". More importantly, the Chinese team urgently needs to calm down and regain morale in five days, after all, this draw in Singapore is a heavy blow to the whole team.

Singapore's Mahler (second from left) scores a goal during a match on March 21.

While Asian teams are improving, how will the Chinese team, which is still struggling to find a win in the official competition in 2024, respond?

Source: People's Daily