China – Football Flame

Saudi Arabia defeat 10-man China 1-0 in 2026 World Cup AFC Qualifying

21Mar

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Saudi Arabia defeat 10-man China 1-0 in 2026 World Cup AFC Qualifying

Saudi Arabia's midfielder #7 Musab Al-Juwayr shoots during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Asia zone qualifiers group C football match between Saudi Arabia and China at the Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on March 20, 2025. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images) China suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia in a 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qualifier on the road in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, continuing to struggle at the bottom of Group C. The decisive moment came five minutes into the second half, when Saudi midfielder Salem Al-Dawsari found the net from close range, capitalizing on a rebound after Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei had made a valiant effort to block an initial shot. China's task became even more challenging just before halftime, as Lin Liang...

China fall to Australia 3-1 in 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier

11Oct

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

China fall to Australia 3-1 in 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier

China lost to Australia 3-1, despite scoring first in a 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifier in Adelaide, Australia, on Thursday. The Chinese visitors enjoyed a strong start and found the net in the 20th minute. Zhang Yuning headed the ball to Xie Wenneng, who then drove into the box and tallied his first goal for the national team. Australia tied the game near the end of the first half. Craig Goodwin's free kick from the left wing in stoppage time set up Lewis Miller for a header that evened the score at 1-1. The Socceroos took the lead seven minutes into the second half. Goodwin blew the ball into the left corner of the visiting side's net with a shot that was too strong and too fast to leave goalkeeper Wang Dalei with any chance. Australia rubbed salt in Chin...

‘No hope’: China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril

12Sep

By Silver Emmanuel1 Comment

NEWS

‘No hope’: China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril

China coach Branko Ivankovic was under pressure Wednesday to quit after less than seven months in the job with their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup in danger. China are bottom of their group in the third round of Asian qualifying following two defeats in as many games, the latest a 2-1 home loss to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The Saudis played much of the game in Dalian with 10 men following the 19th-minute dismissal of Mohamed Kanno, but they were the better side in the second half and scored the winner at the death through Hassan Kadish's second header of the night. Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle with Croatian coach Ivankovic the target of much of the home fans' anger. On the social media platform Weibo, the hashtags "Chinese football. No hope" and "Ivan...

Saudi Arabia’s 10 men fight back to beat China in World Cup qualifying

11Sep

By Silver EmmanuelNo Comments

NEWS

Saudi Arabia’s 10 men fight back to beat China in World Cup qualifying

China face a struggle to qualify for the 2026 World Cup as they followed their 7-0 drubbing in Japan last week with a 2-1 defeat against 10-man Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. China went ahead in the 14th minute in Dalian through an Ali Lajami own goal but failed to take advantage of Saudi midfielder Mohamed Kanno being red-carded a few minutes later. Hassan Kadish equalised with a header from a corner before half-time and repeated the feat in the last minute of the 90 to spark wild celebrations from the visitors. China, who had registered just one shot in their match with Japan, struggled to carve out chances despite their numerical advantage. They paid the price when the Saudis, managed by former Manchester City and Italy coach Roberto Mancini, equalised through Kadish before half-time. ...