Wu Lei appears to have been greatly frustrated by the ‘Saitama disaster’.
China suffered a humiliating 0-7 defeat to Japan in the first round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and the U.S. at Saitama Stadium 2002 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, at 7:35 p.m. on the 5th.
It was a Saitama disaster for China. The team was pushed throughout the entire game and failed to stage any significant attacks. Japan lost 0-7 in the end. Chinese players couldn’t raise their heads after the game.
Coach Branko Ivankovic also sent a message to his Chinese counterparts, saying, “I apologize to the Chinese fans.” He added, “China is fine, however, and its goal to advance to the World Cup remains the same. There is no need to worry about whether the locker room will lose control. I am confident that the Chinese Football Association will continue to support the players. I will try to lead the team more passionately and show good performance in the next match.” 토토사이트
Despite Coach Ivankovic’s commitment, the outlook for his team is dim. China barely passed the second preliminary round as well. In conclusion, the team had two wins, two draws and two losses, tying with Thailand in crewmembers’ loss. It had nine points and nine runs, which was also the same as Thailand. It managed to advance to the third preliminary round by beating Thailand in the winner’s win. It will play against Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Indonesia, and Australia in the third preliminary round, but none of the teams is weaker than China.
Wurray felt the difference. Wurray was highly anticipated as a star player in China, and also called Son Heung-min in China. He went to Spain’s La Liga with Espanyol, but he made a big comeback after failing. Although he has displayed good performance in the Chinese Super League, he naturally becomes shabby when he plays in international matches. After losing against Japan three years ago, Wurray said, “I want to share with China what I felt and learned abroad. Playing abroad will be more meaningful to Chinese soccer,” urging changes in Chinese soccer itself.
However, Wu Lei himself returned to China and lost to Japan 0-7 three years later. He declined to be interviewed after the match, but posted on his blog, “Three years have passed. We must face up to the differences and try. We must do our best in Chinese soccer.” Chinese fans cheered for him, but some fans criticized him, saying, “What have you done for the past three years?”
China’s next opponent will be Saudi Arabia. If the team loses at the match against Saudi Arabia, its chances of advancing to the World Cup will be closer to zero percent.
