On the evening of September 10, in the second round of Group C of the World Preliminary Round of 18, the Chinese men's football team was reversed 1-2 by the Saudi Arabian team with one more player, and suffered two consecutive defeats.
In this game, the Chinese team achieved a dream start, scoring one more goal and playing one more. However, in a good situation, the national football team was finally reversed and killed, failing to score any points, and coach Ivan's coaching ability was criticized again, especially in the second half, which was too late to make a substitution, which was even more criticized. After the game, Ivankovic bowed his head and thanked the court, and the fans collectively shouted: Ivan is out of class!
This is the sixth game of Ivankovic's coaching of the national football team, with a total of 1 win, 2 draws and 3 losses. After this game, the national football team has a total record of 7 wins, 5 draws and 9 losses, scoring 25 goals and conceding 28 goals. The last time they beat their opponents was in the 2015 Asian Cup, and the last time they beat them in the World Preliminary Tournament was in 1997.
Jiang Shenglong said in a post-match interview: "I'm sorry for the fans who supported us, they didn't hold on to the end when there was one more person, and they didn't bring the last three points. I think the opponent is in the same situation as us, if you lose, you lose, you don't have enough ability, and you can repay the fans who support us with a better performance in the next game. ”
At the post-match press conference, head coach Ivankovic said: "First of all, congratulations to the Saudi team on their victory, and thank you to so many fans who have supported us. We conceded two set-pieces and we lost in the end, which is a shame. The players worked very hard, from the big score loss in the last game to the hard work performance in this game, it was not easy. ”
A reporter asked if Ivan would choose to leave class after the game, and then other reporters responded with applause. Ivan said embarrassedly: "This question should not be for me, after all, the last game was indeed a big loss, and the three popular teams in our group, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, are very strong teams themselves." For us the group goal is to finish in the top four and go to the next stage of the play-offs and we are working towards that goal, this game is a little bit better than the last one and we have a lot of hope. ”
When asked by the media how he considered the delay in making substitutions at the last moment, Ivan replied: Mancini replaced the striker and replaced the defender, we didn't make adjustments because the operation on the field was reasonable, some of the substitutions were due to injuries, and the active running of the two wings can still play a role. The situation on the football pitch is very complicated, including Zhu Chenjie's possible injury, so we have to leave the substitutions to possible changes.
Asked how Bahrain and Indonesia will face these opponents next after they have scored points, Ivan said: "We have analysed the opponents, it was difficult for us to get points in the first three games, but we have to do our best in each game.
After the first two rounds of matches, the national football team lost 2 games and ranked 6th in the standings with 0 points. On October 10, the national football team will face Australia away in the third round.
People's Daily Client:
The Chinese team lost a good game, and the coach could not escape the blame
On the evening of September 10, a final whistle blew, and Dalian Barracuda Bay Football Stadium responded with a heavy sigh. The Chinese men's football team was reversed by the Saudi Arabian team in the second round of the round of 18 of the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, ushering in two consecutive defeats 1:2.
Leading in the opening 14 minutes, the opponent sent another person off in the 19th minute, and the Chinese team made a dreamy start, but it was still the losing side. In this game that should have been scored, the on-the-spot command of the head coach of the Chinese team, Ivankovic, could not escape the blame.
In the first half, the Chinese team's possession rate of less than 30% has already explained some problems, and the Saudi Arabian team, which has one less player, still controls the rhythm on the field, and the number of threats and passes is also better than that of the national football team. After the two sides ended in a 1-1 draw, the Chinese team only completed one passive adjustment in the second half, replacing Jiang Guangtai, who was strained in the first half, with Wang Shangyuan. Perhaps it was the stalemate in the first half that made the conservative Ivankovic lack the ambition to win, and the Chinese team's attack in the second half still seemed simple and undisciplined, and did not show the slightest numerical advantage.
In the second half of the second half, a number of Chinese players were physically unsustainable, and the scene was already relatively passive, but Ivankovic still did not make adjustments, and only replaced Xie Wenneng who could not hold on with Huang Zhengyu. The coaching staff didn't use active adjustments to send a signal about whether to hold on to a point or try their best to get three points. Until the Saudi Arabian team scored a goal in the 90th minute, the Chinese team paid a heavy price for the coaching staff's timidity and mismanagement.
One general is incompetent, and the three armies are exhausted. The Chinese team basically walked out of the shadow of the first round of defeat in this game, and also showed a good mental outlook on the field, but failed to get a point in a good situation due to the coach's improper command. In 10 games in the group stage, the Chinese team, which has lost two consecutive games, has been at the bottom, and whether it is a big defeat or a tragic reversal, it is not inevitable, and someone should stand up and take responsibility at this time.
Source丨People's Daily client, Hunan video, Jiupai News