There was no twist.
The Chinese national soccer team collapsed again. China, led by head coach Branko Ivankovic (Croatia), lost 1-3 in the third Group C match of the 2026 North-China World Cup Asian qualifying round against Australia at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia on the 10th (Korea time). China has lost so far, kneeling in all three matches in the third qualifying round. China, which lost 0-7 in the first match against Japan and 1-2 in the second match against Saudi Arabia, also collapsed to Australia, falling to the bottom of Group C with three losses. While scoring two goals, he gave up as many as 12 goals.
He's on the verge of elimination. In the third qualifying round, the first and second places in each group will go straight to the finals. Third to fourth place can go to the fourth qualifying round. However, with the current atmosphere, it is not easy to go to the fourth qualifying round. Even if it is difficult to enter the first or second place, a reversal is needed to reach the third or fourth place, but it is true that it is not easy. Game 4 against Indonesia is important right now, but with Indonesia's current power, it is difficult to guarantee victory.
It is a game that did not have high expectations even in China. The Chinese national team traveled to Adelaide, Australia, by changing planes twice, not chartered planes. It was a journey that lasted about 20 hours. There was even a story that it was a choice to avoid the public's attention. In fact, CCTV gave up broadcasting the game.
Australia's FIFA ranking was 25th and China 91st. China was in a bad situation, with ace Wu Lei ruled out due to injury, but Australia was also anxious. Australia suffered a 0-1 shock loss to Bahrain in the first leg at home, followed by a 0-0 draw against Indonesia in the second leg of the away game, which seemed to be an unconditional catch. There was a chaotic atmosphere, with coach Graham Arnold, who led the national team for a long time, being replaced. As it was Tony Popovich's debut, there was room for glare.
As expected, it was Australia's atmosphere from the beginning. Australia fired a series of sharp shots in the beginning. However, it did not lead to a score. China, which was crouching, scored the first goal with a counterattack. When Jang Winning dropped a long pass from the back with his head in the 20th minute of the first half, Xie Wen-keng dug into the back space and finished it.
A panicked Australia raised the level of its attack even further. China focused on defense. Australia's share reached 80 percent. In the end, Australia brought the game to square one. Lewis Miller opened the Chinese goal with a strong header in the first half's extra time corner kick situation.
Australia, which finished 1-1 in the first half, took the lead eight minutes into the second half. Craig Goodwin shook the Chinese net with a left-footed mid-range shot in front of the arc. China, which gave up the lead, tried to change the atmosphere, but Australia, which was in the mood, was strong. It was not easy for China to cross the half-line, let alone attack. Australia knocked on China until the end, eventually scoring an extra goal in extra time. When the Chinese defense failed to handle the cutback from the left properly, substitute Nisan Belupilay finished with a sensational right-footed shot. In the end, the match ended with a 3-1 victory for Australia. It was the moment when the Great Wall collapsed again.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
