China fans rage over ‘these players’ after team ends miserable Fifa World Cup qualifiers with Oman defeat
- Li Xiaopeng’s team lose 2-0 in Muscat and finish second from bottom of Group B
- The new coach again opted to cut all naturalised players leaving fans to question what hope there is for the future
China’s miserable Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign has ended as it started, in another disappointing defeat and with more questions than answers over the team’s future.
Li Xiaopeng’s side were easily beaten by Oman in Muscat late on Tuesday night, a result that condemned them to finishing second from bottom in Group B and with one win from 10 matches.
The team have lost three times since his appointment midway through the campaign, including a humiliating 3-1 defeat to Vietnam, and Li has opted to leave out several naturalised players, with four Brazilians, Ai Kesen, Luo Guofu, Fei Nanduo and A Lan, dropped from the latest 25-man squad.
Instead, Li has turned to the likes of Hong Kong-born Dai Wai-tsun, who played the full 90 minutes against Oman.
The attacking midfielder shone in patches in a game where the home side scored in each half through Arshad Al Alawi and Abdullah Fawaz, and China failed to muster a single shot on target.
And Li, who took the hot seat from his former national team colleague Li Tie in December, acknowledged his side had simply not been good enough.
“We delivered something in our attack but our pace was not as fast as the opponents and the result is not unexpected,” the manager said. “But the boys were brave enough to do quite well in the attack which should be recognised.
“All the players worked very hard in the match and have played their best over the last two years. Those who started on the pitch are all fighters and I hope they can face the fact of both win or lose, so that they can start their preparations for the domestic league competition which will start soon.”
China out to end disappointing Fifa World Cup qualifiers on high note
The 22-year-old Dai, who plays for Shenzhen in the Chinese Super League, has appeared in all four matches since Li took over, and believes there are reasons for optimism in the years that lie ahead.
“All the players want to wrap up the campaign with a victory. It’s a pity that we failed to do it,” Dai, who played for Hong Kong at junior level, said. “I think we must continue to work hard so that we can perform our own style on the pitch, with me as the attack focus, and will not let pressure beat us.”
The attacking midfielder had a shot in the first half but his attempt from distance was narrowly off target.
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But fans were not impressed, with some suggesting that without overseas players, there was no hope. Others called for the return of the missing Wu Lei to at least add “some excitement”.
One comment received more than 230,000 likes on a website. “We had some expectations when the national team played with naturalised players,” the fan said. “How can we see hope from these bunch of players!”
With one win and three draws from their 10 matches in Group B, China finished just two points above Vietnam, who they beat 3-2 in October when Wu scored twice, including a stoppage winner.
Wu has not been part of the squad for the final two matches of the campaign, with local media in Spain reporting that his manager at Espanyol, Vicente Moreno, wanted him to stay with the club.
Saudi Arabia topped the group with 23 points after beating Australia 1-0, while Japan, who were held to a 1-all draw at home by Vietnam, finished second a point behind.
The top two advance to the World Cup finals in Qatar later this year, while Australia finished third and face United Arab Emirates, their Group A counterparts, in the continental playoff in June.
Whoever wins that match will take on a South American side to decide the last spot for Qatar.
