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Real battle for Cup spot begins for China
The Straits Times
|October 15, 2024
BEIJING - China's hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup are hanging by a thread after three consecutive qualifying defeats, but the Oct 15 clash against Indonesia on home turf provides Branko Ivankovic's side with another opportunity to right the ship.
The Chinese opened their qualifying campaign with a fiasco, being humbled 7-0 by Japan.
They then lost 2-1 to 10-man Saudi Arabia despite going ahead, and then fumbled another 1-0 lead to suffer a 3-1 defeat in Australia on Oct 10. This poor streak leaves China rock bottom of Group C with zero points and a goal difference of minus 10.
The top two teams in each group will directly qualify for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams move into a further round of qualifying.
This story is from the October 15, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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