Coach Park Hang-seo's Vietnam Team Faces Backlash After 1:3 Defeat... First Loss in 62 Years
Will Xi Jinping's Dream of Hosting the World Cup Come True?
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The dream of 1.4 billion Chinese people has once again been shattered.
The Chinese national football team, which dreamed of qualifying for the '2022 Qatar World Cup' finals, lost 1-3 to the Vietnam national team led by coach Park Hang-seo.
On the 2nd, Chinese state media including Xinhua News Agency reported that in the final round of the Asian qualifiers Group B for the Qatar World Cup held the previous day at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, the Chinese team was defeated 1-3 by the Vietnamese team, ending their hopes of qualifying for the Qatar World Cup finals. With this defeat, the Chinese team recorded 1 win, 2 draws, and 5 losses in the Asian qualifiers, remaining in 5th place in the group. Even if the Chinese team wins the remaining two matches, they will not be able to finish within the top 3 in the group to qualify for the playoffs (PO).
Xinhua News Agency reported that the Chinese players seemed to be in poor physical condition during the first half and made many passing errors. It also reported that Chinese coach Li Xiaopeng substituted naturalized players Alan (Aran) and Luo Guofu (Aloysius) to strengthen the attack but failed to score a comeback goal. The Chinese team conceded 3 goals and only managed to score 1 goal during stoppage time in the second half.
The online edition of the People's Daily stated that it was the first time in 62 years that the Chinese team lost to the Vietnamese team and that they lost a match they should not have lost.
Pengpai reported an interview with Chinese coach Li Xiaopeng after the match. Coach Li apologized for the defeat and cited excessive nervousness among players and tactical issues as the reasons for the loss. He added that the rise of Chinese football is only a matter of time and that more intergenerational efforts are needed.
The news of the Chinese team's defeat during the Lunar New Year (Chunjeol, the first day of the lunar calendar) was a shock to the Chinese people. Chinese netizens criticized the team, saying that nervousness indicated a serious lack of confidence. Other netizens sarcastically commented, "I thought it was a match between China and Brazil," and posted harsh remarks such as "Chinese football is shameful," "Don't return home, find a factory to work in," "Get paid according to your skills," and "Disband the Chinese men's national team." On Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, a video was posted showing an angry Chinese person smashing a large TV with a hammer after China lost to Vietnam.
China has invested heavily in football over the years, with the backing of Chinese leadership including President Xi Jinping. Known as a football enthusiast, President Xi expressed his dream in 2013, after becoming the national leader, of the Chinese national team qualifying for the World Cup finals, hosting the World Cup in China, and winning the World Cup. Since then, Chinese professional clubs have paid astronomical transfer fees to bring world-class players to the Chinese professional league.
However, Chinese football has yet to achieve significant results. China has only participated in the World Cup finals once so far. During the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, China made its first-ever appearance in the World Cup finals, but this was not due to their skill level. The automatic qualification of host countries Korea and Japan played a major role in their favorable draw.
Meanwhile, China is reportedly determined to host the World Cup in 2030.
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