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xinhua news agency, dalian, september 9 (reporters xiao shiyao and cai yongjun) after 0:7, when the outside world's criticism, ridicule and even abuse are overwhelming, how will the chinese national football team face the upcoming next game?

on the 10th, the chinese team will play against the strong saudi arabian team in the second round of the 2026 mexico city world cup asian qualifiers at home in dalian.

on september 7, chinese team head coach ivankovic (center) directed the players' training. photo by xinhua news agency reporter li gang

will the chinese national football team be completely crushed by the pressure and once again be defeated by a strong enemy, and then become a laughing stock? or will they choose to be brave and show their bloodiness and fighting spirit, fight to the last moment on the field, and maintain the precarious dignity of chinese football?

at this dark moment, in front of tens of thousands of home spectators, the chinese national football team had no way to retreat.

coach ivankovic said: "i want to apologize to the fans. a 0:7 loss is unacceptable to anyone. we must get rid of the shadow of the first defeat in japan as soon as possible through a positive performance in the next game. as a team, we will definitely fight to the end."

on september 7, ivankovic, head coach of the chinese team, was in training. photo by xinhua news agency reporter li gang

in this match, ivankovic's team will face a severe test. as a traditional asian powerhouse, saudi arabia is significantly higher than the chinese national team in terms of world ranking and overall strength. in the first round of the top 18 match, saudi arabia was unexpectedly tied by indonesia at home. many foreign media reported that under the pressure of performance, the italian coach mancini, who coaches the saudi team, is also facing the crisis of "being fired". for mancini and the saudi team, this is also a game that cannot be lost.

mancini said that the team had recently conducted special training on offense to solve the problem of poor scoring ability in the first game. facing the chinese team, the team must seize the chances of scoring as much as possible and strive to win.

it is foreseeable that under the fierce attack of the saudi team, the first task of the chinese national football team is still defense. ivankovic is faced with a difficult choice. in the last game against japan, ivankovic's usual 442 formation exposed obvious defensive loopholes. there are reports that the chinese national football team may adjust to a "five-defender" formation, but the team has not conducted targeted training for this before, and the effect of the on-the-spot change of formation may be difficult to guarantee. both options have considerable risks.

file photo: saudi arabia's head coach roberto mancini. photo by xinhua news agency reporter cao can

in addition to technical and tactical skills, what is more important for the chinese team is to regain confidence and fighting spirit in the game. in the current competition, fans are not demanding that the team not lose, but they hope that the national football team can at least show better spirit than in the first game, play at its current level, and not collapse at the first touch.

judging from the historical confrontations between the two teams, the chinese team is not at a disadvantage. in the three encounters in the past 10 years, the two teams have 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss. in the last world cup qualifiers, the chinese national football team had a 1:1 draw with the opponent. in the 2015 asian cup, the chinese team defeated the saudi team 1:0 in the group stage. the two captains of the current chinese national football team, wang dalei and wu lei, both played in that game. if the chinese national football team can show a better competitive state than the opponent, it is not completely without a chance at home.

the top 18 is a long journey of 10 games. the chinese team will not lose the chance to qualify just because of a big loss in the first game. but i believe that the players of the national football team are very clear that only by fighting hard can they win a glimmer of hope.

source: xinhua news agency