As the night drew low, China's footballers hosted Vietnam's powerhouse and finally completed a strong response to Vietnam with a score of 2:0. Thinking back to that 1:3 defeat away from home in last year's World Qualifier, China stood at the pinnacle of shame for a while, as that victory was the first ever for Vietnamese soccer in the Qualifier 12. Tonight, however, the former losers became the winners.
One might think that Vietnam is fielding a bunch of young players in this campaign, but in fact, many of the players had played in last year's World Qualifiers. In this season's competition, new blood has sprung up and veterans have gradually given way, making Vietnam's overall tactics slightly rusty. However, these young players have certainly become solid building blocks as we look ahead to the 2026 World Cup.
In this match, the Chinese team showed fierce competition in both the first and second halves. The joy of the victory speaks for itself, but the three players on the field triggered the dissatisfaction of the fans, calling for their early replacement. If these three newcomers make their debut in the preliminaries, I'm afraid the future of the Chinese team is not optimistic.
The first to bear the brunt was captain Wu Xi. He was substituted at half-time, and his statistics for the first half were mind-boggling: six goals conceded, making him the player who conceded the most goals for the Chinese team. As a defensively strong midfielder, Wu Xi was repeatedly frustrated in aerial confrontations, and was unable to bring substantial help to the team, either in offense or defense, but instead created a lot of trouble for the opponents.
The other is veteran Tan Long. Despite wearing the national team's colors, he has not been able to return to his peak form. Despite his best efforts on the field, his role was limited, especially against the young Vietnamese defenders. The only bright spot was his shot from outside the box, but it is clear that he needs to play a more pivotal role inside the box.
Fang Hao's appearance was equally surprising. Although he is not a consistent starter in the Chinese Super League, he was given the chance to start in this game. However, Fang Hao's overall strength still needs to be improved compared to the more impressive players, especially on the wings, where Gao Tianyi and Wei Shihao were undoubtedly better.
The above three players, whether in strength, form or attitude, no longer meet the national team's standards. Therefore, in the next preliminaries, the Chinese team must decisively reform. The effect of this change of nine people in the national team list has already begun to be seen. In the future, this change will be even more drastic, eliminating players who are not suitable for the national team, with a view to realizing a comprehensive upgrade of the team.
