Resurgent China rides on team spirit and stamina
Print Edition
HIGH-FLYING China has emerged as the Asian Cup’s dark horses after its best start to the competition in 27 years emphatically put the cat among the pigeons.
Twice runners-up, the Chinese have never won the continent’s showcase tournament but Wednesday’s explosive 2-1 comeback win over Uzbekistan in Brisbane saw them sweep into the quarterfinals and put the title favorites on red alert.
China coach Alain Perrin promised champagne corks would be popping but the Frenchman could experience a nasty hangover in the next round.
China, which has secured top spot in Group B, may come back to earth with a bump as it faces either hosts Australia or regional heavyweights South Korea in the last eight. The Koreans, hit with a flu bug and an injury crisis, appear the more likely opponents with the Socceroos on a hot streak of their own.
“In this Asian Cup we cannot look down on any team,” said Perrin, who ended China’s miserable run of having failed to reach the knockout stages since hosting the competition in 2004.
“We just need to carry on focusing on what we need to do, just prepare for our next matches.”
China was unlucky not to lift the Asian Cup as 2004 hosts, beaten 1-3 by Japan in a controversial final famous for Koji Nakata’s handball goal.
Since reaching the 2002 World Cup, China has regressed. But after a corruption crackdown China’s newly rich club scene has flourished, attracting big foreign names and with Guangzhou Evergrande winning the 2013 AFC Champions League.
Super-sub Sun Ke’s brilliant winner against Uzbekistan served notice that China, underpinned by top-class players such as Zhang Linpeng and Zheng Zi, could also become a force to be reckoned with at national level.
Wednesday’s win was applauded at home, with Xinhua news agency calling Sun’s goal “a right-foot shot David Beckham would be proud of.”
After celebrating by jumping into ice baths, Wu Xi credited China’s unity — traditionally one of its biggest obstacles — for its success so far. “We all just follow the coach’s orders,” said the player. “We had some minor problems but we were able to adjust. It was team spirit and stamina that took us through.”
And while it is still a long way from the January 31 final, an eventual victory for China would spark jubilant scenes. “If China wins the cup, I’ll run through the streets naked,” one Sina Weibo user said.
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