In a high-stakes match on Tuesday, China’s national football team suffered a 3-1 defeat against Japan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers held in Xiamen, Fujian Province. This loss places China at the bottom of Group C in the AFC qualifiers.
The match marked the second encounter between the two teams in this stage of the tournament. In their first meeting, Japan dominated with a 7-0 victory over China, igniting a challenging period for the Chinese squad. Despite this setback, China bounced back with consecutive wins against Indonesia and Bahrain, rekindling hopes among fans.
The game began cautiously, with both teams unable to create significant scoring opportunities in the first half-hour. Japan broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when Koki Ogawa headed in a corner kick, giving Japan a 1-0 lead. Just before halftime, Ko Itakura extended Japan’s lead to 2-0 with another goal from a corner.
China responded swiftly in the second half. In the 48th minute, Wei Shihao delivered a precise through pass to Lin Liangming, who slotted the ball into the left corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1. However, Japan struck again six minutes later when Junya Ito‘s cross from the right wing found Ogawa, who secured his second goal with a header, bringing the score to 3-1.
Despite valiant efforts to stage a comeback, China’s attempts were thwarted, with Wei Shihao’s shot in the 70th minute posing the only significant threat. After the match, China’s head coach, Branko Ivankovic, praised his team’s fighting spirit. “I feel happy about my players. Against a strong Japanese team, they all fought hard on the pitch and were brave to press high in the front,” he commented. Ivankovic acknowledged the need to improve on set-piece defense, noting, “One second of distraction changed the result. We will improve our set-piece defense in the future and help our players to be more focused on the pitch.”
In other Group C action, Indonesia pulled off a surprising 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia, while Bahrain held Australia to a 2-2 draw. Japan continues to lead Group C with 16 points, followed by Australia with seven points. Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and China are all tied with six points, with China trailing due to goal difference.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
