*This content was translated by AI.
"We lost the match and we lost in sportsmanship."
Chinese football bowed its head once again. The team suffered its first-ever defeat against Tajikistan, ranked 101st by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). Having been completely outplayed on the pitch and seeing one of their own players sent off, harsh criticism poured in from within China as well.
The Chinese Nam Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team lost 0-1 to Tajikistan in an international friendly match held at the Chongqing Longxing Football Stadium in Chongqing, China, on the 6th.
This is the first time China has lost to Tajikistan. In their previous six encounters, China had never lost, boasting a record of four wins and two draws, but they ultimately tasted the humiliation of their first defeat on home soil.
The recent trend is also serious. During this international break, China beat Maldives 3-0 in their opening match, but then suffered consecutive heavy defeats to New Zealand 0-3 and Palestine 0-5. Including the loss to Tajikistan, China has failed to score a single goal in their last three matches while conceding nine, falling into a three-game losing streak.
Chinese media were also furious. Following the match, Chinese outlet Sina.com stated, "0-1, we lost on the pitch and in sportsmanship," adding, "China conceded nine goals during their three-game losing streak, and Wei Shihao was sent off. Coach Xiao Zai's tactical changes also failed," delivering a strong critique.
In terms of actual match performance, Tajikistan held the advantage. China's possession rate was a mere 30%. In contrast, Tajikistan recorded 70%.
In total shots, China managed only four, while Tajikistan recorded 10. On target shots were also three for China and four for Tajikistan.
Looking solely at FIFA rankings, China is ranked 91st, while Tajikistan is 101st. However, China was completely dominated in a match played on home turf.
Sina.com did not express regret over the narrow one-goal defeat; instead, they sarcastically remarked that it was fortunate they had not lost by a larger margin.
The outlet pointed out, "It was fortunate that Tajikistan's forwards lacked finishing ability. Otherwise, China would have conceded goals much earlier."
Indeed, China faced multiple crises from the first half onward. Thanks to the opponents' poor decision-making and their goalkeeper's saves, they repeatedly escaped scoring threats.
However, China struggled to gain momentum, and the deadlock was finally broken in the second half. In the 8th minute of the second half, Tajikistan's Bakhtiyor Kholmatov scored the opening goal. The Chinese goalkeeper failed to properly handle a shot from the opponent, and Kholmatov did not miss the chance to finish off the loose ball.
China's troubles did not end there. Just six minutes after conceding a goal, Wei Shihao was sent off in the 14th minute of the second half.
Wei Shihao, who had already received a yellow card near the end of the first half, was shown another warning for rough conduct while competing with an opponent in the second half. He ultimately left the field after receiving his second yellow card and a red card.
Trailing by one goal and facing a numerical disadvantage, China subsequently made several substitutions but failed to equalize until the end.
On this day, China deployed a defensive 5-4-1 formation against Tajikistan.
Having suffered heavy defeats of 0-3 to New Zealand and 0-5 to Palestine previously, there was a strong intention to increase defensive numbers to prevent another crushing loss. The match against Palestine also marked China's first-ever defeat to that opponent in history.
However, despite strengthening their defense, they still conceded a goal, and struggled to find a breakthrough on the attack. Ultimately, they collapsed once again at home.
The local perspective in China was cold. Sina.com criticized, "China was almost completely dominated from the first half," adding, "They showed this level of performance even against an opponent that is hard to consider a strong team in Asia. It is not strange for fans to evaluate it as an 'ugly match.'"
Another Chinese outlet, Sohu.com, also raised its voice, stating, "China has set a series of humiliating records."
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*This content was translated by AI.
