China has scored zero goals in three matches. China’s serious lack of goal-getting ability will continue in the final matches, making it difficult for it to advance to the round of 16 teams ranking third. China, which had no goals scored in two consecutive matches, lost to Qatar, which presented its candidates, in the final Group A match of the 2023 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Qatar Asian Cup, losing face significantly. The long-awaited goal failed to score, only resulting in the goal, drawing anger from Chinese fans.
Tajikistan, which is on the final stage for the first time in history, secured second place by winning the final match against Lebanon at the same time, and achieved the first victory of the impressive finals and the feat of advancing to the round of 16. China, with two points, can look at the round of 16 tickets given to the top four teams in the third place depending on the results of the final match in Group B-F, but it is not arithmetically possible, and this is also not easy.
In this year’s event, where 24 countries participate, the first and second-ranked teams in six groups and the top four third-ranked teams will advance to the round of 16. However, the third-ranked teams in Group D and Group E, which both Japan and Korea belong to, already secured three points in the second round, surpassing China. In addition, the third-ranked team in Group B, C, and F will also have a final match with the lowest-ranked team in the group, casting dark clouds over China’s advance to the round of 16.
◆ China also went scoreless, ‘3rd place down’… 0-1 loss to Qatar, 3rd place, 16th-strength ‘distrust’
China, which suffered from a severe lack of goal-making power, lost 0-1 to Qatar, which operated a rotation member, in the final third match of Group A at the 2023 Asian Cup held at Khalifa International Stadium in Al-Raiyan, Qatar on the 23rd (Korea time). China’s leading striker Wu Lei played as a substitute member in the second half after being excluded from the starting lineup due to poor performance, but he also failed to shake the net.
As a result, China, which has advanced to its 13th finals, finished third in the group with two draws and one loss (two points) without even a single win, and is in a position to watch the results of the final matches of other groups. However, Indonesia, ranked third in Group D, which includes Japan, has already secured three points (1 win and one loss), and Bahrain, ranked third in Group E, which includes Korea, also has three points (1 win and one loss), making it difficult for China to advance to the round of 16 for the third place.
Moreover, Syria (1 draw, 1 loss point), ranked third in Group B, will play India with two losses, and Palestine (1 draw, 1 loss point), ranked third in Group C, will play Hong Kong with two losses, respectively, and is more likely to advance to the round of 16 than China. Oman (1 draw, 1 loss point), ranked third in Group F, also played against Kyrgyzstan, the lowest with two losses, and China’s advance to the round of 16 remains arithmetically.
Qatar, the host country and defending champion, confirmed its advance to the round of 16 by winning two consecutive games, while having its ace Akram Afif (three goals) and Almoez Ali (one goal) start from the bench, securing the top spot in the group with three consecutive wins (nine points) without allowing any loss for three consecutive games. Qatar will play against the third-ranked team in Group C, D and E in the round of 16, and will thus have a relatively advantageous match. By granting rotation members a chance to play, Qatar is now making it to the knockout stage, raising hopes for its second consecutive win.
As China failed to score even one goal in three consecutive games, head coach Aleksandar Jankovic also had nothing to say. He seemed to take the lead in the beginning with strong forward pressure and rapid change of offense, but failed to take advantage of the scoring opportunity and eventually collapsed in the second half. Woo Lei, who was selected as a starter in the first and second games but failed to score a goal, failed to open the goal even after being substituted in the 67th minute of the second half. 헤라카지노
China was lagging behind 41% to 59% in ball possession rate and was also inferior to 70% to 83% in pass success rate. The number of shots was the same as 10 to 10, but they couldn’t avoid losing 0-1 by missing one big chance.
At the start of the second half, Qatar replaced three players including the goalkeeper, showing its willingness to win three consecutive games. At the 19th minute of the second half when the 0-0 balance continued, it shook China’s net by simultaneously putting in ace Afif and captain Hassan al-Haidos. At the 21st minute of the second half, Afif kicked the ball behind the penalty box in the left corner, and “Captain” al-Haidos scored the “wonder winning goal” with a non-stop volley shot from about 21 meters in front of the penalty box.
Afif, who is tied for first in individual scoring with three goals in the tournament, added one assist with an accurate kick.