On November 21, the second round of Group C of the top 36 of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup Asian Qualifiers was held in Shenzhen. The Chinese national men’s football team lost 0:3 to the South Korean team.
Less than 10 minutes into the game, there was chaos in the national football penalty area. The referee sentenced Zhu Chenjie for a foul. The South Korean team took the lead with a penalty kick. Near the end of the first half, the South Korean team once again took advantage of a corner kick opportunity to score, ending the first half with a 2:0 lead.
After changing sides, the Korean team still controlled the field and took the initiative. The Chinese team also had several good offensive opportunities, but unfortunately it failed to change the score. The opponent scored another goal in the final stage. In the end, the national football team lost to the South Korean team 0:3 at home.
The head coach of the Chinese team Jankovic said after the game, “I’m sorry that I didn’t get 3 points. This is also Zhang Linpeng’s 100th national team game. It’s a shame (losing). Congratulations to the South Korean team, they finished the game with confidence. The game showed the capabilities that a strong team should have. When playing against such a team, we must be perfect, otherwise any small mistakes will be used by them to punish us. A penalty kick was awarded at the beginning of the game, and soon in the first half If a set kick is scored at the end, the game will be very difficult. We said before the game that we should play with a big heart. We did it and played some coordination, which will be more beneficial to us in the future. , especially in positional battles, we dare to control the ball and do some frontcourt pressure.”
Regarding Zhang Linpeng’s performance, Jankovic commented: “In this game, he had a good attitude and made many key battles and battles. He showed the experience of an old player and once again proved that he is the key to the team. part of it.”
Before the game, the national team held a small celebration ceremony for Zhang Linpeng. Zhang Linpeng’s name and the word “100” were prominently written on a cake carefully made in the shape of a national team jersey. Zhang Linpeng was very excited. He said: “I am very happy and excited to share my important moment with everyone here. The World Cup is a long game, and every game must be played down-to-earth. I hope we will go all out and be worthy of everyone here.” One person’s dedication is worthy of the expectations of our motherland.” Chinese Football Association Chairman Song Kai and Jankovic presented Zhang Linpeng with home and away jerseys with the word “100” printed on them.
Although he lost this game, Jankovic said that his goal of hitting the World Cup with all his strength is still firm. The Chinese men’s football team will face the Singapore team in an away game in the third round of the top 36 of the World Cup preliminaries in March 2024.
