I do not hope for victory. Chinese media are just praying to avoid a major defeat.
On the 11th (Korea time), Chinese media outlet NetEase predicted, "The national soccer team must do its best to lose in a non-disgraceful manner. They could lose 1-3 against Japan in the East Asian Cup."
The media noted, "All the players on this Japanese national team are domestic players. They are players who were rarely selected for the national team in the past. The Chinese national team suffered a severe humiliation in their first match against Korea, losing 0-3. If they lose by a two-goal margin against Japan this time, their reputation may improve slightly."
Currently, China is participating in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held in Korea. This tournament started with the opening match between Korea and China on the 7th and will continue until the 16th. In the men's division, Korea, China, Japan, and Hong Kong are competing for the championship.
In the lead-up to the tournament, there were significant expectations in China. Interim coach Dejan Jurjevic was often speculated to create surprises centering on young prospects. Since this tournament is not held during the international soccer federation (FIFA) A-match period, the fact that Korea and Japan fielded teams without overseas players also added to their confidence.
In reality, Hong Myung-bo's team focused on filtering players and actual testing. Coach Hong Myung-bo experimented with multiple players based on a 'surprise three-back' strategy. Kim Moon-hwan made his first appearance since November of last year, and Park Seung-wook received his first starting opportunity in an A-match. Kim Bong-soo made his A-match debut.
However, China was no match at all. Korea easily created opportunities by dismantling China's strong forward pressure with a higher level of movement and build-up. The opening goal came early, with Lee Dong-gyeong delivering a fantastic left-footed curler in the 8th minute.
The match continued to be one-sided. Korea scored another goal with a powerful header from Jumin-kyu after a cross from Lee Tae-seok in the 21st minute, and extended the lead to 3-0 with Kim Joo-sung's A-match debut goal in the 12th minute of the second half. Meanwhile, China made several substitutions including naturalized Brazilian player Sai Erjiniao (Serginho) in the second half, but failed to register a single effective shot throughout the 90 minutes, realizing the gap in skill.
Essentially, they were defeated by Korea's second team. Among Chinese fans, dissatisfaction with the overwhelming defeat surfaced. Commentator Liu Jianhong noted, "Korean soccer is Asia's top tier, while Chinese soccer is Asia's third tier. This match was a manifestation of a top-tier team (Korea) performing normally while the third-tier team played according to its level. China's 0-3 loss was an expected outcome," and sighed, "Korea can easily overpower China even with just K League players."
It seems that expectations have completely faded within China. This is because they confirmed with their own eyes that even after dismissing coach Branco Ivankovic and bringing in Jurjevic, nothing has changed.
NetEase reported, "Jurjevic used double defensive midfielders unlike Ivankovic, but the result was more miserable. The Korea they faced this time was even a second team. Consequently, the media's sharp criticism shifted from the coach to the Chinese Super League (CSL). They criticized that the tempo of the CSL is too slow and its level too low, making it inevitable that any tactic would lead to such outcomes."
Chinese soccer, with its confidence completely shattered, is hoping to avoid a catastrophe against Japan. China had previously suffered a 0-7 defeat in a September match against Japan last year. Since the 2008 East Asian Cup, they have drawn 4 times and lost 7 times against Japan, failing to secure a single win in 17 years.
Perhaps realizing the seriousness of the situation, coach Jurjevic has reportedly been practicing a five-back formation during training. NetEase noted, "Jurjevic has been demanding his players to defend thoroughly and narrow the spaces during the last two days," stating, "There is no doubt about Japan's victory in this match. However, it is unlikely that the goal difference will exceed 3 goals. It is possible for China to score if they capitalize on set-piece opportunities," holding onto their last hope.
The media also added, "Japan's attacking power is formidable, just like Korea's. Therefore, it is the top priority for the Chinese national team to thoroughly focus on defense to prevent a recurrence of the 7-goal disaster. Of course, Jurjevic, who always emphasizes offense, has not given up encouraging his players to seek scoring opportunities. The fact that Hong Kong also managed to break Japan's goal demonstrates that, provided there is support in terms of fitness, attitude, and tactics, scoring is possible."
[OSEN]