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| Photo = AFP Yonhap News |
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| Photo = AFP Yonhap News |
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Chinese soccer is frustrated again.
China's national soccer team, led by head coach Branko Ivankovic, lost 0-1 to Indonesia in Group C of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Gelora Bungarno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 5th (Korea time). China has only won two games and lost seven times (6 points), including four consecutive World Cup qualifiers recently. The defeat confirmed China's elimination from the World Cup finals regardless of the result of the final match against Bahrain on the 10th.
China has not been connected to the World Cup since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Only this time did he aim for the World Cup finals. There was good news. From the North Korea-China World Cup, the number of countries that advance to the finals will increase from 32 to 48. In Asia, 8.5 tickets were also allocated, up from 4.5 to 4. In the third qualifying round, 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams for a home-and-away 'Full League'. A total of six teams, ranked first and second in each group, will win tickets to the World Cup finals. The six teams ranked third and fourth in the group will be divided into two groups of three countries and play the fourth round of qualifying with the characteristics of a consolation match. The top two teams in each group will advance to the finals. The winner of the second place team goes through the intercontinental playoffs. However, China failed to secure a ticket to the World Cup finals again this time.
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| 사진=AP Yonhap News |
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| 사진=AP Yonhap News |
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Criticism poured in. A break-up with Ivankovic also seems imminent. Chinese media Sohu said on the 6th 'Chinese men's soccer did not advance to the World Cup finals for the sixth consecutive time. Ivankovic's class is over. He is expected to terminate the contract under the terms of the contract with the Chinese Football Association. Ivankovic said: "It was a precondition for keeping the team in the fourth qualifying round' reported.
Ivankovic took the helm of China in February 2024. According to the media, coach Ivankovic led China's A national team to 13 games and recorded three wins, two draws, and eight losses. Sohu said 'Ivankovic's winning rate is less than 25%. He became one of the coaches with the lowest winning rate in the history of the Chinese national team. His adherence to tactics was criticized. In particular, the problem was clearly revealed in the matches against Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. He added that the coach is largely responsible for China's failure to advance to the World Cup.
In another article, the media reported 'Why did I appoint Ivankovic in the first place. The Chinese Football Association was initially expected to select a coach under the age of 70. But why did he end up appointing a foreign coach over 70 years old. This point is significant. Coach Ivankovic did not meet expectations this time. His tactics were too old-fashioned. There was no flexibility. Everyone knew the problem, but they didn't try to change the battle line. He was too slow to react to changing players during the game. In any case, Ivankovic's resignation was confirmed after this World Cup qualifying round. We need to start the process of appointing a new director. Should we continue to hire foreign directors?'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
