Team China's players leave the field dejected at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha after only managing to claim a point in a goalless draw against Tajikistan in its Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group A match on Saturday. AFP
It's not the worst case scenario, but it's certainly no redemption for the beleaguered Team China.
After seeing its potential match-winner overturned by VAR for offside, the Chinese men's soccer team kicked off its Asian Cup with a 0-0 draw against Tajikistan on Saturday, meaning it now needs to put in two perfect shifts against Lebanon and Qatar if it's to achieve its goal of advancing to the knockout stages — and offer some much-needed succor to disgruntled Chinese soccer fans.
"We were a little bit tense in the first half, but we adjusted and delivered as much as possible in the second period. We deserved a victory, but we had a goal overturned by VAR," said Team China veteran defender Zhang Linpeng after the match.
"This is the first time for many of our young players to play at the Asian Cup, and I could feel that they were nervous. After the adjustment during halftime, we had better cooperation. The most important thing is that we can learn from the match and improve on it for our next challenge."
China's Zhu Chenjie celebrates scoring an 82nd minute winner against Tajikistan with Zhang Linpeng and Xie Pengfei in an Asian Cup Group A clash in Doha on Saturday. REUTERS / AFP
Team China's most clear-cut chance to take away a crucial three points came in the 82nd minute, when Zhu Chenjie headed the ball into the back of the net. However the exuberant celebrations of the players and fans were cut cruelly short by the fine margins of international soccer. The goal was overturned following a VAR review due to offside, with Chinese naturalized player Jiang Guangtai, also known as Tyias Browning, lurking on the goal line before Zhu headed the ball home.
The result, which ended up being defined by the ruling, sparked heated discussion online and generated a number of trending topics on Chinese social media. The hashtag "Team China 0-0 Tajikistan" had been viewed over 36 million times as of Sunday morning, with an argument over whether or not Team China had been robbed of victory still raging.
"No referees, including the use of VAR, can be 100 percent fair. Team China was robbed of a goal. The players were helpless once VAR stepped in. After the adjustment of the second half, Team China played well, and there is still hope," sports commentator Huang Jianxiang wrote on social media.
Regardless of the VAR ruling, the overall performance of Team China in its opening match of the campaign was far from satisfying. With just 10 attempts on goal, it was half that of Tajikistan — making its Asian Cup debut — which created more chances and recorded 20 shots at goal. Despite only two of the attempted shots from each side being on target, more pragmatic fans argue that the overturned goal should not excuse the team's overall sluggish performance.
"It's clear that Jiang Guangtai was in an offside position ... I wish our national team could have won, but, perhaps, the more important thing is to look at the way in which it could have achieved victory," said former Team China player Fan Zhiyi during an online live broadcast after the match.
Players remonstrate with Saudi match official Mohammed Khaled al-Hoish moments later, following a VAR reversal of the goal. REUTERS / AFP
Team China head coach Aleksandar Jankovic, however, refused to complain.
"One of the first things I learned in football is that you don't solve problems with tears and crying," Jankovic told assembled media at the post-match news conference.
The Serbian added that, while it's regretful that the goal was overturned, the reason why his team failed to secure a victory was not just because of the VAR decision. He believes his team still has many things to improve, and his next goal is to secure all three points from Lebanon on Wednesday.
With only one point in its pocket, Team China now ranks second in Group A, with host Qatar, which beat Lebanon 3-0 in the tournament opener on Saturday, now top of the group. After Lebanon, Team China will face Qatar on Jan 22.
A total of 24 teams will compete across six groups, with the top two from each group and the four best third-place finishers advancing to the round of 16.
"The result was not good news for Team China, and they have to secure a victory in the next two group matches. Otherwise it will be hard for them to emerge from the group stage," wrote sports commentator Han Qiaosheng on social media.
"During the opening match, it's OK to say that it was Tajikistan that controlled the ball for most of the game, and the statistics support it. There was little to cheer for in Team China's first match, as we made too many mistakes.
"The sluggish performance won't be improved in just one or two days. So, in a way, a draw is not a very bad result."
For the players, the main focus now is to secure a victory against Lebanon.
"As players, we want to win as much as we can. After Saturday's match, we will adjust based on the problems we found and prepare the best we can for the next match," said Zhu.
"We will analyze and study the match videos of Lebanon, and we will get an understanding of our next rival. We also watched the opening match between Qatar and Lebanon. In the coming matches, we will all fight as one in both attack and defense."
