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| EPAYonhap News |
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| XinhuaYonhap News |
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| XinhuaYonhap News |
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Chinese soccer, which suffered a record 0-7 defeat in an away match in Japan, failed to take advantage of its advantage in the home game against Saudi Arabia and won only one point.
China had a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in the second Group C match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Dalian Suoyuan Stadium in Dalian, China on the 10th (Korea time).
We got off to a good start. China, which had not scored a single goal against Japan, led with Ali Rajami's own goal in the 14th minute of the first half. Five minutes later, another piece of luck followed. Mohammed Kano, Saudi Arabia's key midfielder, was sent off directly for an ungentlemanly foul that kicked a Chinese player in the abdomen.
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| XinhuaYonhap News |
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In the 39th minute of the first half, when expectations for the first win of the third qualifying round were rising due to the enthusiastic support of home fans, China failed to gain a numerical advantage and gave up an equalizer. Hasan Kadej brought the game back to square one with Nasser al-Dosari's assist on goal.
China, which finished 1-1 in the first half, scored in the 9th minute of the second half when Wang Sangyuan, a substitute at half-time, scored offside fouls were found through the VAR.
Chinese coach Branko Ivankovic called ace Wu Lei to the bench in the 25th minute of the second half and put in Zhang Winning to set up the final match, but to no avail.
Rather, just before the end of the second half, China allowed Kadeshi to turn the tables by dedicating a come-from-behind goal to Kadeshi with a header in a corner kick situation. The game ended in a 1-2 defeat by China.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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China, which has lost two consecutive games, remains at the bottom of the group and has a red flag to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time in 24 years. Coach Roberto Mancini's Saudi, which drew 1-1 with Indonesia at home, won one win, one draw and four points in two games against the relative underdogs.
Indonesia, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, tied 0-0 at the same time by blocking the opponent's 19th shot without losing a point in the second game of the third qualifying round against Australia at Gelora Bungcarno Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Indonesia, which returned from a 1-1 draw in Saudi Arabia, achieved better-than-expected results with two points against two top-ranked teams.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
