UK Media Reports that a Football Association Official Said: National Team Can’t Enter the World Cup, the Qualifiers Are Our World Cup

According to the report by the British media outlet The Guardian, an official from the Chinese Football Association stated that it is difficult for the Chinese national team to enter the main draw of the World Cup, and the 18-team qualifier is the Chinese team’s World Cup. However, The Guardian’s analysis suggests that this is a deliberate move by the Chinese team to lower expectations and alleviate pressure on the team.

The Chinese team suffered consecutive losses in the first two rounds of the 18-team qualifiers, losing 0-7 to Japan and being dramatically reversed by Saudi Arabia 2-1 despite having an extra player. If they lose again in the third round against Australia, they will not only lose all hopes of advancing with a top-two finish but also have slim chances of entering the play-offs even with a third or fourth-place finish.

To relieve the team’s pressure, an official from the Chinese Football Association said, “We have little chance of entering the World Cup (we won’t make it), this round of qualifiers (the 18-team qualifier) is our World Cup.”

The Guardian reports that if not for the heroic performance of Singapore’s goalkeeper against Thailand in the final round of the 36-team qualifier, China wouldn’t have even made it to the 18-team qualifier.

However, the upcoming opponent for the Chinese team, Australia, is also currently struggling, having drawn one and lost one in the group stage without scoring a single goal, and they have just changed their coach, with Popovic replacing Arnold as the leader of the Socceroos.

Of course, the long journey of the Chinese team seems to have given Popovic some hope, as the Chinese team is plagued with injuries, missing key players such as Wu Lei, Alan, and Yang Zexiang, among whom Wu Lei is the top scorer in the Chinese Super League.

The Guardian indicates that the Chinese team is deliberately lowering expectations before the match, playing without pressure, and any points gained against Australia would be a pleasant surprise. However, for Australia, winning is the only goal.