In the first round of the East Asian Cup, the Chinese team lost 0-3 to the powerful South Korean team, and the whole game was passive and lacked effective counterattack. In the post-match press conference, China's head coach Jankovic confessed, "Although we were well prepared, Korea played much better. I had expected to play an aggressive game, but the strength of our opponent really exceeded our expectations."
In his review of the match, Yankovic mentioned that he was facing a team with a
World Cup caliber
The strength of the opponent, we have to perform well. Even though we were well prepared, the Korean team was more outstanding.
Regarding the 343 and 541 formations adopted by the Chinese team for the match, Jankovic explained, "I switched flexibly between 4-backs and 5-backs, which required us to control the rhythm of the game with precision. Although there were some fluctuations in the first half, overall, we did OK."
Jankovic concluded, "This game was a complete test of our team's level of play. I had hoped to present an aggressive match, however, the strength of our opponents prevented us from doing anything about it. It was a game we could not afford to lose. I will be ready for the next game."
