The highlight of the soccer world on March 25 will be the second round of the warm-up match between the Chinese and New Zealand men's soccer teams. According to Beijing Youth Daily, the referee for the match will be South Korean referee Kim Yoo-Sung, who had a great performance in the first match between the two teams.
Compared to the Thai referee who officiated the first match, Jin Yucheng is more experienced in enforcing against China, having waved yellow cards on more than one occasion. Sivakorn, another Chinese Super League referee in China, is known for his accurate penalties. Although Jin Yucheng has not had much experience against China, his arrival will undoubtedly require the Chinese team to be more vigilant.
Looking back at history, since October 19-26, 1975, China and New Zealand have played 12 official international matches (FIFA certified) with a record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 4 losses. on June 28, 1996, China had beaten New Zealand with a 2-0 victory at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing. Since then, China has not lost to their opponents, but recent matches, including the one on the 23rd of this month, have ended in draws for both teams.
Currently, China's world ranking is 25 places higher than that of its opponents. Although the Chinese team failed to make a breakthrough in the standings in the 23rd match, according to the rules, the national team's ranking points have not been affected. However, if the Chinese team still fails to win or even suffers a loss in the 26th match, its points and ranking will face a double decline, which is undoubtedly a big blow to the team's competition for the next round of the group draw.
