The 2024 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers are in full swing, with teams battling it out for a precious qualification to the 2024 World Cup. Among them, the most eye-catching is undoubtedly Group G, which is known as the "Group of Death" and is becoming the protagonist of this World Preliminaries.
As the defending champions of the Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia are undoubtedly the leaders of Group G. In the previous competition, they successfully won 10 points and temporarily led the group, but the battle of life and death is not over, and the prospect of promotion is still uncertain. Unexpectedly, among the other three teams in Group G, Tajikistan and Jordan turned out to be the dark horses of this group. These two teams have shown extraordinary fighting power in this World Preliminary Tournament, which is impressive.
Presumably, most fans still clearly remember that in the 2023 Asian Cup, Tajikistan has caused a lot of trouble for the Chinese national football team. At that time, many people thought that this team was just excited to participate in the competition, and its strength should not be as good as China's. But when it came to the World Preliminary Tournament, Tajikistan not only did not regress, but further improved its level.
According to the FIFA World Rankings, Tajikistan was ranked only 107th when it participated in the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, but has now risen to 99th. The team's impressive performance in the group stage of the Asian Cup was an impressive demonstration of their tenacious perseverance and thoughtful tactical deployment. In the World Preliminary Round, Tajikistan won 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss in 4 matches in Group G, temporarily ranking second, and is fully expected to reach the next round of knockout rounds. The outstanding performance of this team is undoubtedly impressive.
Like Tajikistan, Jordan is also a dark horse in this World Preliminary Championship. In the 2023 Asian Cup, they have already fought all the way to the final, and finally lost to Qatar. In the world preliminaries, Jordan also performed well, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in 4 games, ranking third in the group with 7 points, and also has great hopes of qualifying. Although they will face Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia in two crucial games in June, the Jordanian team will be able to pull off another miracle with their tenacious fighting spirit.
Jordan's loss to Qatar in the Asian Cup final was also spectacular. Despite losing the match in the end, many fans lamented Jordan's excellent performance. In the final, Qatari teams mainly relied on penalties to complete their goals, and in normal time athletic battles, Jordan was not inferior to their opponents. This also speaks volumes about the strength and potential of the Jordanian team.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia, the reigning champions of the Asian Cup, had a somewhat disappointing performance. Although they defeated the 2022 World Cup group stage against rising champions Argentina, Saudi football has indeed regressed in recent years. The reason may be related to the crazy introduction of foreign aid at the club level, which squeezes the living space of local players.
According to the data, the Saudi Arabian Football Association has been investing heavily in the introduction of foreign players in recent years, hoping to improve the level of the club and the competitiveness of the national team through monetary advantages. But as it turned out, this approach did not work as well as it should. On the contrary, this approach has squeezed the development space of local players, making the overall strength of Saudi football show a regressive trend.
At the same time, neighboring countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are also gradually rising, and have even surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the rookies of Asian football. In this case, Saudi Arabia, the defending champion of the Asian Cup, is now facing the embarrassing situation of being approached by Tajikistan and Jordan. They will have to take all six points in two crucial games in June to secure qualification. This has undoubtedly increased the pressure on Saudi Arabia.
In contrast, the situation of the Chinese national football team is much easier. In the other half of Group G, the national football team only needs to play Thailand and Malaysia in the last two rounds to ensure smooth qualification. Although the national football team has been questioned in recent years, they have finally found the light of day in this World Preliminaries.
It is understood that the performance of the Chinese national football team in the Asian Cup has not been ideal, and even in the group stage of the Asian Cup in 2023, it was forced to draw by the Tajikistan team and was finally eliminated. But in this World Preliminaries, under the leadership of coach Li Tie, the national football team finally found its form and temporarily occupied the top position in Group C. As long as they win the last two rounds against Thailand and Malaysia, the national football team will be able to ensure a smooth qualification. This is undoubtedly a ray of hope for the national football team, which has been tepid. We have reason to believe that under the leadership of Li Tie, the national football team will write a new chapter in the future journey.
Through this fierce competition in the "Group of Death", we can't help but feel that the charm of football lies in its uncertainty. When teams that are seen as the belly of the fish can stand tall among the Asian powers, the charm of football is vividly displayed. This also makes us look forward to more unknown possibilities in the future.
The outstanding performance of Tajikistan and Jordan has undoubtedly subverted people's existing perceptions to a certain extent. As the reigning champions of the Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia should have the upper hand, but now they are in the grip of being chased.
No matter who can make it out of this "group of death" in the end, they will surely become the biggest heroes of this World Preliminary Tournament. This is not only an affirmation of themselves, but also the best footnote to the continuous transcendence and continuous improvement of football.
Judging by the performances of Tajikistan and Jordan, they do have what it takes to fight their way out of this group.
Tajikistan has a record of 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss in the first 4 games, and is temporarily second in the group with 5 points. It is worth mentioning that they only conceded one goal against a stronger Saudi team, which is really admirable. If Tajikistan can beat Jordan at a crucial moment in June, they have a good chance of qualifying.
Jordan won 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the first 4 games, and finished third in the group with 7 points. As the runner-up of the Asian Cup, Jordan also performed extremely well in the World Preliminary Round. Although they lost to Qatar in the final, they were no less impressive in normal times, which speaks volumes about the quality of the squad. Jordan faced Tajikistan and top-ranked Saudi Arabia in their two tough matches in June, but I am confident that they will be able to pull off another miracle with their tenacity.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia, the defending champions of the Asian Cup, did have a somewhat disappointing performance in this World Preliminary Tournament. They had beaten Argentina in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, which shows that Saudi Arabia has a good quality in the past. However, in recent years, Saudi football has shown a trend of regression, mainly due to the frenzied recruitment at the club level, which has seriously squeezed the living space of local players. This also makes Saudi Arabia gradually surpassed by other teams in Asia.
In two crucial games in June, Saudi Arabia must take all six points to secure qualification. In the face of the declining situation and strong challenges from Tajikistan and Jordan, Saudi Arabia is undoubtedly under more pressure. However, I believe that the Saudi team, as the defending champion of the Asian Cup, will be able to rely on its rich experience and strong fighting power to finally fight its way out of this "group of death".
In contrast, the situation of the Chinese national football team is much easier. In the other half of Group G, the national team only needs to beat Thailand and Malaysia in the last two rounds to ensure a smooth qualification. Although the national football team has been questioned in recent years, in this World Preliminaries, under the leadership of Coach Li Tie, they finally found their form. At present, the national football team is temporarily at the top of Group C, and as long as they win the last two rounds, qualification is just around the corner.
This is undoubtedly a ray of hope for the national football team. We have reason to believe that under the leadership of Li Tie, the national football team will surely write a more brilliant chapter in the future journey. After all, football has always been full of uncertainties, and no one can predict the final outcome. As long as the team maintains full fighting spirit and as long as the coach can formulate excellent tactics, the national football team will definitely be able to create miracles in future games.
Let's look forward to more shocking dramas staged by these teams in the next competition! No matter who can fight out of this "group of death" in the end, they will surely become the biggest heroes of this World Preliminaries. This is not only an affirmation of themselves, but also the best footnote to the continuous transcendence and continuous improvement of football.