'Worst ever' China came to life after dying..."'Shin Tae-yong Magic' First win after catching Indonesia, tears well "Thank you for supporting this score as well "

Oct 16, 2024

China, which had lost all World Cup qualifiers, revived. Coach Shin Tae-yong reported his first win in the third Asian qualifying round for the North-China World Cup by defeating Indonesia 2-1. The impressed Chinese players also shed tears. Photo = Sina Sports

China, which had the worst performance ever, caught Indonesia led by head coach Shin Tae-yong and saved a small hope to advance to the World Cup.

China won 2-1 in Group C of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Indonesia at Qingdao Youth Football Stadium in Qingdao, China on the 15th. China, which had won four consecutive games including the second qualifying round, finally brought three points.

China played hard against Indonesia. It was a game that China was expected to lead the game, but Indonesia took more than 70% of its share against China. However, although Indonesia had a high share, it did not create a good chance to threaten China. China also tried to bully Indonesia through pressure, but it was not effective.

China scored the first goal in a set piece that was pointed out as a disadvantage. In the 21st minute of the first half, China had a monotonous kick from the free kick. It hit the head, but it looked like a ball going out. At this time, Jang Sung-lung followed the ball to the end and saved the ball. China took the lead as Abdouweri, who was in front of the gate, scored his A-match debut goal.

The game did not change much despite China's first goal. China chose to operate the game efficiently, and Indonesia, which is in a hurry to score an equalizer, launched a counterattack. In the 40th minute of the first half, Ivar Jenner attempted a strong shot, but was saved by goalkeeper Wang Dalay.

China, which has overcome the crisis, has widened the gap. In the 44th minute of the first half, China owned the ball while the Indonesian defense, which was in a hurry, collapsed. Lieutenant Gao poked a perfect through pass toward Jang Winning from the side. China finished the first half in a good mood as Zhang Winning finished neatly.

At the start of the second half, head coach Shin Tae-yong replaced three players at once to counterattack. I tried to change the atmosphere through replacement, but Indonesia's attack was not smooth. Indonesia-led matches, which have been focused on counterattacks so far, seemed unfamiliar. Indonesia touched the ball a lot, but the detail was very low, so it did not create a clear scoring opportunity.

Indonesia scored a comeback goal, but it was too late. In the 40th minute of the second half, Arhan connected to the door long from the throw-in. Tom Haye scored as the Chinese defense failed to handle it smoothly. Indonesia's flame burned up late, but that's it. He failed to score an equalizer.

The joys and sorrows of the two teams were very mixed. First, China really escaped from the brink. After entering the third qualifying round, China was the worst ever. Since there are 8.5 direct World Cup tickets in Asia as the number of participating countries has expanded to 48 starting from the North Korea-China World Cup two years later, China has also sought to advance to the World Cup for the first time in 24 years since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

However, after the start of the third qualifying round, China started with a 0-7 disaster against Japan. It lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia and collapsed 1-3 to Australia, marking its third consecutive loss. China is not a soccer powerhouse in Asia, but it was the first time in history that it has won four consecutive World Cup qualifiers.

Chinese fans were hoping to bring a ticket to the World Cup directly through the fourth qualifying round after being included in the top four of the group in the third qualifying round, but they showed a desperate attitude when they lost three consecutive games. The hopes of making it to the World Cup were fading. Public opinion toward head coach Branko Ivankovic has also deteriorated extremely. Public opinion has grown very much that Ivankovic should be replaced as soon as possible.

China's last hope was to try to reverse the mood by winning against Indonesia, which was classified as the weakest in Group C. China came to life on the edge of a cliff. After the game, some Chinese players shed tears. Goalkeeper Wang Dalay was one of the players who burst into tears after the game.

In an interview, he said, `I'm happy to win, and I'm always grateful for the support from so many fans. I was thankful that the fans didn't give up until the end and cheered for me even though I didn't do well in the previous game," he said, explaining the reason for his tears. China, which is still at the bottom of the group, is still too early to give up because it can continue its hopes for the World Cup even if it is ranked fourth.

On the other hand, Indonesia under coach Shin Tae-yong had a lot of twists. Before meeting China, the atmosphere was really good as it drew against Saudi Arabia and Australia. However, he lost a point just before the end of the match against Bahrain and failed to win his first match of the third qualifying round. It fell to fifth place in the group after three consecutive draws. The gap with the second place was small, so if they caught China, they could even aim for the third place.

However, they are still in fifth place after losing to China, but they have the same points as China. The anxiety factor is that the gap with second-place Australia is only two points, so it is possible to aim for the second place, but the trend of not winning continues. Indonesia is the only team that has no victory in Group C, which includes Indonesia.

Still, Indonesia is not at the stage to give up yet because it can go to the fourth qualifying round if it is included in the top four. This is because Shin Tae-yong Magic can happen at a truly miraculous moment.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com