Worst Defeat on Record! National Team Unable to Secure a Win Against Japan for Years: All Official Matches Lost, Struggle Continues in East Asian Cup

In the first round of the top 18 qualifiers, the national team predictably suffered a 0-7 defeat away to Japan, continuing the jinx of not winning against Japan for the past 26 years and experiencing their worst defeat ever in matches against Japan. In these 26 years, all five official matches were lost, and even in the East Asian Cup competitions, the national team struggled to secure a win against Japan’s second or third teams.

The national team’s encounters with Japan began in the 1975 Asian Cup qualifiers, where they won 2-1. In the early matches, the national team had the upper hand, including an initial three-game winning streak (including two official matches). From the 1990s onwards, the two teams were evenly matched, with a turning point being the 1998 Dynasty Cup, where the national team won 2-0 thanks to Li Bing’s performance.

However, since then, the national team has found it difficult to secure a win against Japan. Before the current top 18 qualifiers, the national team had 30 encounters with Japan, resulting in 7 wins, 8 draws, and 15 losses, clearly at a disadvantage.

With this away loss in the top 18 qualifier, the national team has faced Japan 15 times in the last 26 years, drawing six and losing nine. Notably, this includes one friendly match, nine East Asian Cup events, and five official matches. Even against Japan’s second or third teams in the East Asian Cup, the national team could not secure a single win.

In the five official matches against Japan, the national team lost all of them, including a 0-2 loss in the 2000 Asian Cup, a 1-3 defeat in the 2004 Asian Cup final, a double elimination in the previous World Cup qualifier’s final round, and this latest loss in the first round of the top 18 qualifiers. The 0-7 defeat is also the most crushing loss in the history of matches between China and Japan.

Unable to secure a win in official matches against Japan and struggling to win even against Japan’s second or third teams in the East Asian Cup, the national team truly finds it hard to compete against teams from Japan and South Korea in the East Asian football scene.