Chinese football numb after 'disastrous' 7-0 Japan thrashing / Photo: Yuichi YAMAZAKI - AFP
-
Malta Chamber of Commerce and FIMBank Sign Alliance Agreement to Boost Corporate Finance
-
Turkish Energy Minister Highlights Qatar as Key Partner for Regional and Global Energy Security
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
Chinese football numb after 'disastrous' 7-0 Japan thrashing
Chinese football fans and media rounded on the national team on Friday after they suffered fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in World Cup qualifying.
President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a chastening evening in Saitama on Thursday.
China had only squeezed into the decisive third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup thanks to a superior head-to-head record over Thailand. China have reached the World Cup only once before, in 2002.
They are still alive in the group despite the desperate start, but Oriental Sports Daily said it was China's heaviest World Cup qualifying defeat.
"When the taste of bitterness reaches its extreme, all that is left is numbness," it said.
The Paper in Shanghai said that Chinese football had hit "rock-bottom" and called it a "disastrous defeat".
It partly pointed the finger at China's Croatian boss Branko Ivankovic, calling his "incompetence... a contributing factor to this crushing defeat".
The hammering in Saitama was hotly discussed on Chinese social media platform Weibo, with the hashtag "National team loses to Japan 0-7" viewed 480 million times as of Friday morning.
"We still don't know what the Japanese goalkeeper looks like after a 90-minute game," said one user.
Another went as far as to call for the team to be "disbanded".
"There is no point in spending the most money on this useless project."
Writing on Weibo, former national team player Fan Zhiyi -- who featured at the 2002 World Cup -- said: "When there's a gap in ability and you lose, it's acceptable.
"What's hard for football fans to accept is losing like this."
China will attempt to get their campaign back on track when they host Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
W.Stewart--AT
