AFC Asian Cup: Chinese football is not going backwards, coach Aleksandar Jankovic says after another low in loss to Qatar

‘I have no regrets, because we did everything we could,’ Jankovic says after national team again lacked quality in defeat by hosts Qatar

China claimed only two points from their three group matches, remaining goalless

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Wu Lei of China cuts a dejected figure after the Group A loss to Qatar. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:06pm, 23 Jan 2024Updated: 12:21pm, 23 Jan 2024

Aleksandar Jankovic denied that mainland Chinese football was going backwards and insisted he did not fear the sack following another wretched night for the national team at the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

China were left needing help from other results to reach the last 16 after being beaten 1-0 on Monday by the hosts, who fielded a second-choice team.

Jankovic’s side failed to score in their three Group A matches, and went through the tournament’s opening stage winless for only the second time, after previously doing so in 1976 when groups contained three teams rather than four.

But even as the possibility of a humiliating early flight home loomed, head coach Jankovic said he had no regrets.

Serb Jankovic held up his hands over China’s failings in Qatar but insisted he was proud of his players. Photo: AFP

“I have been in China almost six years, prepared one generation for Chinese football [while in charge of age-group teams], coached in the East Asian Cup, World Cup qualifiers and now the Asian Cup, and all these things are precious for me,” Jankovic said.