"This kind of defeat is a first" China's soccer disaster, legend bows his head in shock... Shocking 0-5 loss to Palestine, locals call it "first defeat in 60 years"

*This content was translated by AI.

Chinese football has once again faced a shocking result. They suffered a crushing defeat at home, conceding as many as five goals to Palestine.

The Chinese men's national football team suffered a 0-5 rout in a friendly match against Palestine held on the 2nd at Longxing Football Field in Chongqing, China.

Local media in China described this result as a "disaster." It was that shocking of a defeat.

In terms of match performance, Palestine dominated China. While China trailed slightly in possession at 46%-54%, there was a significant gap in shots on target, with the score being 3-9. Total shots also favored Palestine at 12-16. The difference was evident from the quality of their attacks.

In particular, China's defense collapsed helplessly from the first half. After conceding the opening goal to Assad Al-Hamrawi in just 16 minutes of the first half, they allowed Hamrawi to score another goal six minutes later.

China also conceded during stoppage time in the first half. With Odai Dabagh shaking the net for Palestine, China ended the first half trailing 0-3.

There was no turnaround in the second half either. Dabagh shook the net again in the 9th minute of the second half to complete a brace, and Palestine added a goal by Ahmad Alkhatib during stoppage time in the second half to seal a 5-0 victory.

On the other hand, from China's perspective, it was a historic humiliation.

China's Sina.com reported the shocking result as "the first defeat in 60 years." After defeating Palestine 7-0 in their first encounter in 1966, China had not lost any of their head-to-head matches up until this game, holding a record of five wins and two draws.

However, collapsing at home with a 0-5 loss, they suffered the humiliation of their first-ever defeat against Palestine.

After the match, Xiao Zai, a former star of Chinese football and head coach of the national team, could not hide his shock.

At the press conference, Coach Xiao Zai bowed his head, saying, "I am sorry for losing by such a score difference," and added, "There is nothing more to explain. This kind of match is difficult for both me and the team to accept."

He continued, "Because we lost the game, there are no more words to say. I will accept all criticism," and stated, "We will prepare so that we can play well in the next match."

He also expressed regret over the team's overall focus. Coach Xiao Zai pointed out, "It seems some players were still thinking about the league or the AFC Champions League."

Nevertheless, he accepted this crushing defeat. He emphasized, "But those things cannot be the reason for the defeat," and added, "We will go back and analyze it properly. This is not something that can be brushed off with a few words. It is truly a difficult result for us to accept."

He also shared his candid feelings about the shocking defeat.

Coach Xiao Zai said, "From 1998 to now, I have lived for almost 30 years as a player and coach, experiencing both victories and defeats. Defeat is part of football, so it must be accepted," but added, "Honestly, I have never experienced this kind of defeat before."

China's FIFA ranking is 91st, while Palestine is ranked 95th. However, China suffered a five-goal margin defeat at home against an opponent ranked lower than themselves.

Their recent form has also been poor. On the 27th of last month, China also suffered a 0-3 crushing defeat in a home match against New Zealand (ranked 86th). They conceded eight goals in two matches and failed to score a single one.

Plunged into the worst atmosphere, China aims for a turnaround against Tajikistan (ranked 101st) on the 6th.

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*This content was translated by AI.