Japan beat the Chinese men's soccer team 1:0 with a first-half goal by Isao Osako in the second round of the Qatar World Cup Asian qualifying round of 12, as China's two-game losing streak became more pronounced. Despite the fact that China suffered a heavy defeat against Australia in the first round of the tournament, head coach Li Tie still opted for a five-guard formation against Japan, the top-ranked team in Asia. However, Japan's strong offense doubled the pressure on China's defense, with a 78% ball possession rate. Only two minutes into the match, China's main center back Zhang Linpeng was injured in defense, and Zhu Chenjie came on as a substitute. In the 22nd minute, Japan's Kubo Kenyoung went close in the penalty area. It wasn't until the 40th minute that Junya Ito's cross helped Isao Osako score the only goal of the match. In the second half, the Chinese team adjusted their tactics, replacing Alan, Luo Guofu and other attacking players, but failed to pose a threat to the Japanese goal, and eventually kept the score of 1:0 until the end. In this 12-team tournament, China is in group b with Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Oman. The top two teams in the group will directly advance to the final round of the World Cup, while the third place will qualify for the play-offs. Meanwhile, Vietnam also suffered two consecutive defeats in the first round of the tournament, losing 0:1 to Australia. In the next round, China will face Vietnam on October 7 in Sharjah, UAE. Li Tie said the team will come up with a better form in the third match through the adjustment in the coming month. As for Zhang Linpeng's injury, Li Tie said he will have an examination on the 8th. In this match, the Chinese team lost 0:1 to Japan, but improved their performance compared to the 0:3 loss to Australia in the first round. Japan's head coach Mori Baoichi said he was happy that his team was able to find their game form after the first loss. Currently, the Chinese team is ranked 9th in Asia and 71st in the world, leaving a gap with Japan, which is ranked 1st in Asia and 24th in the world. However, Li Tie said that the team will try to improve its strength and strive for good results in the next games.
After two consecutive losses, the Chinese team will face Vietnam, who also suffered consecutive losses, in the next round of the competition. Li Tie said the team will treat the match as a final and go all out for a win. In preparation for the next round of matches, the Chinese team will have a grueling training session in Sharjah, UAE, in order to improve the players' physical condition and game rhythm. At the same time, Li Tie also hopes to meet some stronger teams than the Chinese team for warm-up matches, in order to improve the overall strength of the team. In the 12 matches since the 21st century, the Chinese team has not won a single match against Japan, with five draws and seven losses. The last victory over Japan dates back to 1998. However, Li Tie said the team will work hard to improve its strength and strive for good results in future matches.
