At dawn on September 30th, as night fell low in Sharjah, UAE, China played a warm-up match against a depleted Syria squad. With Zhang Yuning scoring a crucial goal in stoppage time, the
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Shaking hands with their opponents with a score of 1-1. With the upcoming World Preliminary 12 tournament in October getting closer and closer, the Chinese team didn't seem to care about the result of this match. In addition to taking advantage of the relaxed rules of teaching matches to fully practice, the coaching staff also focused on the physical condition of the players.
The Sino-Syrian match kicked off at around 8 p.m. local time on Sept. 30 (early morning on Oct. 1, Beijing time), a full hour later than scheduled. In order to enable the players to quickly adapt to the competitive atmosphere and environment of the 12th round of the tournament, the match was specially arranged to be held at the Sharjah Stadium, the venue of the third round of the 12th round of the Sino-Vietnamese battle. The Chinese team set the match time at 8 p.m. local time because the World Football Federation and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) initially set the kick-off time for the China-Vietnam match at 7 p.m. local time on Oct. 7, based on the recommendations of the commercial development partners and some broadcast partners of the 12-team tournament.
In order to help the players find the feeling of the big match, CFA has sent 4 Chinese world-class referees to enforce this warm-up match on the spot, with Ma Ning as the referee. These four referees have been enforcing the Top 12 and AFC Champions League matches recently, and the players will have a clearer understanding of the rules and characteristics of the Top 12 matches under their enforcement.
In order to safeguard their respective competitive interests, the Chinese and Syrian teams agreed that the match would be closed to the public. Even with the
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The traveling media reporters were also told before the game that they were not allowed to go to the field to watch the game, and they didn't even bother to get information about the game.
It is reported that since this match is not a WFC A warm-up match, the two sides have set relatively free rules for the match. For example, the two sides can change players as needed during the match without any limit. At present, the Chinese team in addition to Li Lei and other very few injuries, the vast majority of other players are able to participate.
After 90 minutes of intense fighting, the two sides ended up drawing 1-1. Mamer gave Syria the lead in the 26th minute of the first half, and Zhang Yuning added a second in stoppage time for the
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Equalizing the score. The Chinese team tried a variety of offensive and defensive lineup combinations in the match. However, due to the technical and tactical characteristics of the Syrian team is far from the same group of teams in the Final 12, the Chinese team in this game is also very focused on the physical protection of the players. Warming up with the Syrian team, which lacks absolute mainstays such as Soma and Herbin, there is really no need for the Chinese team to be "tough" with their opponents, so as not to cause unnecessary attrition in more important matches. Of course, through such a warm-up, head coach Li Tie has a clearer idea of the organization of the personnel of the third and even fourth round of the 12-team tournament.
According to the plan, the Chinese team will have at least one day's rest after the match, and then quickly enter the preparation sprint phase before the China-Vietnam match in the Round of 12.
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Kickoff for China-Vietnam match delayed two hours
It is worth mentioning that for the warm-up match between China and Syria, the kick-off time of the match was delayed by one hour to 8:00 p.m. from the scheduled 7:00 p.m. local time. It is reported that the adjustment was made for a reason, on October 7, the kick-off time of the third round of the 12-team tournament between China and Vietnam has been adjusted from the planned 7:00 p.m. local time to 9:00 p.m., that is, 1:00 a.m. Beijing time on the 8th. In order to give
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The CFA's efforts to secure more favorable playing conditions have finally paid off.
Recently, the official websites of the World Football Confederation and the Asian Football Confederation updated the kickoff times for the third and fourth rounds of the 12-team tournament respectively. Among them, China's third-round home match with Vietnam and the fourth-round away match against Saudi Arabia are scheduled for 7 p.m. local time in Sharjah on Oct. 7 (11 p.m. Beijing time on Oct. 7), and 7 p.m. local time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 12 (00:00 a.m. Beijing time on Oct. 13), respectively.
There is a 4-hour and 5-hour time difference between China and the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively.
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The two rounds of matches were played in ordinary stadiums without air-conditioning facilities, so the Chinese team faced a huge physical exertion in the hot and humid local climate. Playing against Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, who specialize in playing in hot and humid climates, the Chinese team might suffer. In view of this.
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Through the CFA forward working group in a timely manner with all parties, including the AFC consultation, through repeated communication, the AFC finally agreed to the Sino-Vietnamese match kick-off time is arranged in Sharjah at 9:00 p.m. local time (1:00 a.m. Beijing time on the 8th), which is with the final round of the 40-team tournament.
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The time of the match with Syria is exactly the same. Don't underestimate the two hour delay, the drop in temperature will definitely be favorable for the Chinese team.
As for the away game against Saudi Arabia.
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It is also hoped that the kick-off will be scheduled after 8 p.m. local time if possible, and from the looks of things, there is a good chance that the match will be organized for 8 p.m. local time on the 12th (1 a.m. BST on the 13th).
