China looks to seal Asian Cup qualification
Print Edition
China will expect to put an unconvincing qualifying campaign behind it and reach its 11th straight Asian Cup in front of new manager Alain Perrin when it takes on former champion Iraq today.
An away draw against lowly Indonesia and defeat to Saudi Arabia have made for a difficult path for China, which sacked highly paid ex-Real Madrid manager Juan Antonio Camacho midway through qualifying.
But the Asian giant, which is ranked just 88th in the world, is in the box seat to progress in the second automatic spot in Group C as qualifying ends.
China lies second behind group winner Saudi Arabia while Iraq, which lifted the trophy in 2007, is two points further back, meaning it needs to win in Sharjah to guarantee progression. However, China can lose the game and still be confident of qualifying as the best-performing third-placed team, with closest challenger Lebanon then needing to beat Thailand by at least six goals.
Only two spots are up for grabs today with 13 teams, including hosts Australia and defending champions Japan, already confirmed and one place reserved for the winners of the AFC Challenge Cup in May.
Caretaker boss Fu Bo will take charge of China for the last time with France’s Perrin expected to be watching from the stands.
Perrin was announced as a surprise choice of manager last week, after Guangzhou Evergrande’s Marcello Lippi had been hotly tipped. Lippi later signed a new three-year deal with the Chinese and Asian champion.
Perrin, the well-travelled, 57-year-old former Marseille and Portsmouth coach, arrives with none of the pedigree of the World Cup-winning Lippi. His greatest success was leading Lyon to the French double in 2008.
But after disquiet over the large sums reportedly paid to Camacho, the Chinese Football Association may have wanted a more affordable manager for the Asian Cup and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Perrin will hope that China’s new-found success in the AFC Champions League, after Guangzhou became the competition’s first Chinese winners last year, will start to translate into success on the international stage.
Lebanon will also be hoping China beats Iraq and avoid the need to rack up a hatful of goals against Thailand, although it is a feat it is well capable of after winning 5-2 at home last year.
China has only qualified for one World Cup, in 2002.
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