Only 15 minutes into the match, Zhang suffered a mistake, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and made a series of key blocks in the following game. In the 24th minute, his decisive tackle in the penalty area successfully resolved a crisis, and although the opposing players claimed a foul, frame-by-frame replay by VAR showed that Zhang's action was well-timed and spatial, and did not constitute a foul.
At the 35-minute mark, Dosari tried to lay off a cross from the left side of the box, and Zhang Linpeng's quick return managed to clear the ball off the line. Under his positive influence, the backline of the national soccer team performed moderately well. However, a negligent defense of a corner kick before the end of the first half led to a goal for the opponents and failed to achieve a half-time shutout.
**Another second-half blunder, is Zhang's place at center back secure? **
With the goal conceded before the end of the first half, it was expected that coach Li Xiaopeng would focus on stepping up the offense in the second half during the intermission, which would undoubtedly increase the pressure on the backline. In the second half, Zhang Linpeng attempted a powerful clearance in a head-to-head with Dosari, but Dosari was quicker on his feet and got away from him with ease. If not for Dosari's slightly less skillful shooting, his unmarked shot from inside the box would have been almost a sure thing.
In the second half of the game, the national football team did not concede again, but we also saw the back line under great pressure, and eventually avoided conceding a goal while chasing the score, thanks to the lack of ability of Saudi Arabia's attacking players to grasp the opportunity.
Throughout the match, Zhang Linpeng, who once again played as a center back, made a number of key blocks, worthy of the captain's armband, but also made two near-fatal mistakes. Judging from Zhang Linpeng's performance and technical characteristics over the years, perhaps he is not suitable to play the center back position.
