Chinese national football team players celebrate Lin Liangming's goal against Japan on November 19, 2024 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.  Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The Chinese national football team suffered a home 3-1 defeat to Asian No.1 Japan in the World Cup Asian qualifier on Tuesday in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, a result that many considered worthy of praise. 

Beijing Guoan player Lin Liangming scored the only goal for China three minutes into the second half. The goal was only the second that ­Japan conceded after six games in the series. 

"Congratulations to the Japanese team but I think they can feel that the victory was not an easy one," Chinese national team head coach Branko Ivankovic told reporters after the match. "I'm delighted about my players' outstanding performance today."

All of the goals the Chinese team conceded were from headers, including two from corner kicks.

"We've been underlining set-piece defense during training, but today's result shows that we have to train more and make them develop good habits in set-piece defense," Ivankovic said.

"Our players were very brave in implementing a high press in the offense. And the opponents displayed excellent individual skills, but our players constantly tried to apply pressure on them and created more opportunities to attack." 

Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Japanese national team head coach Hajime Moriyasu praised the Chinese team's improvement, as the previous meet between the two sides saw Japan rout the Chinese team 7-0 in September.

"I think it was a totally different team from the one that played at our home last time," Moriyasu said. "The Chinese goal, if that had been the first goal of the game, I think the outcome of the game would have a different score." 

He also highlighted that under head coach Ivankovic, the Chinese players showed their huge potential on the pitch after gaining experience throughout the qualifying series.

"They had the potential to move forward fast and play aggressively, this is a big change," Moriyasu said. "The Chinese supporters created a great atmosphere for the players, just like they were playing together, which made it difficult for us to play."

Tuesday's game attracted 45,336 fans watching in person in Xiamen, according to the organizers. Ivankovic also thanked them for their support after the match. 

"The fans' active support is very vital for us. They are our 12th man on the pitch," Ivankovic said.

Chinese fans cheer for their team before the World Cup qualifying match against Japan on November 19, 2024 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

 

The Chinese national team fielded a number of young players in this match, bringing the average age of the starting lineup down to a recent low of 26.82 years.

The younger Chinese squad managed to hold off the Japanese offense until Koki Ogawa scored the opening goal in the 39th minute in the first half.

"Our players kept adjusting and improved with each game. Although we lost at home to Saudi Arabia and away to Australia, our performance kept getting better. Even in today's match against Japan, despite the strong opposition, we did not change our style or approach, and we were rewarded for it,"  Ivankovic noted, before singling out Lin and Wei Shihao's contribution to the game.

"Perhaps coach Moriyasu didn't expect this. We see it as progress. Our potential comes from the absolute trust the players have in each other, and I'm especially satisfied with the performances of our two forwards, Lin Liangming and Wei Shihao, who were playing out of their usual positions."

After Tuesday's result, Ivankovic is optimistic about China's campaign in the World Cup Asian qualifiers.

"We executed our tactics very well, and if we had executed our tactics ­better we could have had a better result today," Ivankovic said. 

"This gives us more optimism as we look ahead to the upcoming matches."

At the end of Ivankovic's post-match press conference, plenty of Chinese journalists burst into applause to cheer on the 70-year-old Croatian, a stark contrast to calls for him to resign after a 10-man Saudi team defeated the Chinese team in Dalian.

Tuesday's result means Japan remains unbeaten in the Asian qualifiers after six games. All of Japan's matches have been won by a margin of at least two goals except a home draw to Australia at 1-1. 

Elsewhere, Indonesia stunned Saudi Arabia at home with a 2-0, a result that pushed China out of the top-four place in the six-team group.