‘Fought bravely’: China boss praises players despite World Cup defeat by Saudi Arabia
China had Lin Liangming sent off just before the interval with the teams level, but conceded the winning goal just after the break
China boss Branko Ivankovic praised his players following their 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a loss that leaves their chances of reaching the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals in jeopardy.
The visitors were level at half-time against one of the biggest sides in the Asian section but a red card for Lin Liangming – for a foul on Hassan Kadesh – changed the course of the match, with Salem Aldawsari scoring the only goal of the game in the 50th minute.
Defeat left China bottom of Group C with three matches remaining. They are level on six points with Indonesia, who sit in fourth place with a superior goal difference – fourth spot would be good enough to make it to a further round of qualifying.
“I thanked and congratulated my players for handing in such a wonderful display under such tough circumstances,” Ivankovic said. “I hope we shift our focus to the next match as soon as possible because it’s always the next match that is more crucial.
“From our point of view, as professional players, they need to embrace the challenges. We lost to Saudi, they are a powerhouse in Asia, they always played in the World Cup; we lost to a great team but our players fought bravely until the end on the pitch.”
Next up for China is the visit of second-placed Australia, who warmed up with a thumping 5-1 victory over Indonesia.