On August 22nd, the curtain fell on the AFC Champions League play-offs under Beijing time. Super League giants Shanghai Harbour suffered an unexpected defeat at their home ground, losing 2-3 to Thai mid-table team Pathum United, and missing out on qualification for the AFC Champions League, a loss that was undoubtedly a shameful performance.
In this matchup, Shanghai Harbor had many of the main players of the Chinese men's soccer team, while their opponents, Pathum United, also had a lot of Thai international players. Chinese head coach Yankovic was on hand to supervise the match, but the result was a big disappointment for him. According to a senior reporter in China, Yankovic did not get any surprises after the match except for shock.
In the match, the Harbour's backline was mainly made up of national football starters such as Jiang Guangtai, Zhang Linmiao and Wang Shenchao, however, the defense was full of holes against the mid-tier Thai Premier League team and appeared to be unplayable.
Zhang Lin Yun, the 34-year-old captain of the national soccer team, was mainly responsible for the three goals conceded by the team. As a result, renowned soccer commentator Shen Wei suggested that Zhang Lin Yun should not start in the upcoming World Qualifier, as he was clearly behind the Thai players in terms of speed and anticipation in the game.
In addition, the main goalkeeper of the national football team, Yan Junling, also suffered the embarrassing situation of "shooting to send points". Not only is the defense line not performing well, even the team's top player Wu Lei has also failed to play to its proper level. In the face of harbor international players collective slump, Yankovic's disappointment is not difficult to understand.
Three months from now, on November 16th, the Chinese men's soccer team will face Thailand in the World Qualifier. I believe Seaport's exit in the AFC Champions League will be a wake-up call for Jankovic and the upcoming national football team, and may even be a turning point. I believe Jankovic will learn from Seaport's lesson and further optimize the national football team's defensive strategy. For those underperforming international players, it's time to screen and adjust.
