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China’s football captain quits after ‘humiliating’ draw with Singapore in World Cup qualifier, tells wife he can't accept it

Hightech88

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Loyal
Knn 小坡县 Little Red Dot can draw with the CCP grand army Wolf Warriors of the People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 ?

WTF is happening?:biggrin:

https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...y_Today-Evening-Brief_newsletter_22032024_tdy

China’s football captain quits after ‘humiliating’ draw with Singapore in World Cup qualifier, tells wife he can't accept it​

China's football captain Zhang Linpeng speaking at a press conference ahead of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers match against Singapore on March 20, 2024.

Football Association of Singapore/Facebook
China's football captain Zhang Linpeng speaking at a press conference ahead of the Fifa World Cup qualifiers match against Singapore on March 20, 2024.
  • Captain Zhang Linpeng from China's football team said he is quitting after drawing 2-2 at a match with Singapore
  • He said the result was "humiliating" and "unacceptable"
  • This was for a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier match on March 21 at Singapore's National Stadium, where China took a 2-0 half-time lead
  • Singapore pulled back with a 2-2 draw in the second half and now sits at the bottom of the group that comprise China, South Korea and Thailand
Published March 22, 2024 Updated March 22, 2024

SINGAPORE — Calling the result “unacceptable”, China’s team captain Zhang Linpeng has decided to quit his international football career after his squad's “humiliating” 2-2 draw with the Lions in a qualifier match for the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Zhang told reporters on Thursday (March 21) during a post-match interview that conceding a late draw against Singapore — a side almost 70 places beneath them in the men's world rankings — led to his decision to hang up his boots at the international stage.

“I thought about it for a long while. I think it’s time to end my national team career. We could not even beat the Singapore team. I think it’s unacceptable, and I find it humiliating,” the 34-year-old said in a news report by Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post.

China's hopes of reaching the World Cup for only the second time are in the balance after the draw, AFP news agency reported.

China is ranked 88 in the world, while Singapore is 156.

READ ALSO​

Singapore come back from 2 goals down to hold China in Lions coach Ogura’s opening game


Xinhua News Agency, China's state-run media outfit, reported that Zhang's wife posted on social media an account of a text exchange they had after the game, where he sounded despondent.

In his message to his wife, Zhang said that he spoke to the team and told them he would take responsibility for the match.
He added: "I really feel like I cannot do any better than this anymore. Every day I am really putting in 100 per cent to 200 per cent effort but this result, I really cannot accept it, so let's just end it here."

Dubbed "Zhang-mos" by his fans in reference to Spanish defender Sergio Ramos, Zhang plays as a right full back and as a central defender.
Thursday's match saw Singapore's Lions fighting back from being two goals down to secure a draw, in head coach Tsutomu Ogura’s opening game since he took over the reins in February.

China, too, had a new coach Branko Ivankovic, who took over from Aleksandar Jankovic after their Asian Cup first-round exit last month.

The first two goals in the latest match were scored by China's forward Wu Lei, which looked to have dashed any hopes of a positive result for Singapore, before substitute Faris Ramli scored after the restart and Jacob Mahler smashed home a goal to level in front of a 28,000-strong crowd at Singapore's National Stadium.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong congratulated Ogura and the team on Friday for their “fighting spirit and grit” against one of Asia’s traditional football powerhouses.

Mr Lee wrote on Facebook: “Well done to the team and coach Tsutomu Ogura! Every effort counts, so keep working hard and continue flying the flag high. All the best for your upcoming match with China again in Tianjin on Tuesday.”

China's coach Ivankovic was quoted as saying after the match: “I told my players at the half-time that 2-0 is dangerous. Sadly, we did not do well in the second half.

“We should improve the efficiency to goal in the coming game and have a lot to correct. The team needs to do all the efforts to win the next game.”

The two sides will meet again in the return leg at the Tianjin Olympic Centre Stadium in China on March 26.

Thursday's match was part of the 2026 Fifa World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia qualifier.

Singapore — in Group C with China, South Korea and Thailand — now sits at the bottom of the group with one point.

China is in third place with four points, Thailand in second place with four points and South Korea is top of the group at the moment with seven points.
The top two of the group will advance to the 18-team third stage of the Asian qualifying tournament.
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laksaboy

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Praying for the Thais to lay the smackdown on the Tiongs. :cool:

Just fuck off from the World Cup, China. Not only is it terrible waste of a slot, you are contaminating the tournament with your shitty flag and deplorable anthem.

参加啥世界杯呀,回家吃屎去吧!:FU:
 

laksaboy

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No woman respects a man who cannot shoot. Tiong national football team better wear green hats for their matches.
 

Hypocrite-The

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Chinese football team captain now says he's not quitting after 2-2 draw with S'pore
China still has a chance of qualifying for the World Cup.

Belmont Lay |


March 25, 2024, 06:53 PM



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China national football team captain Zhang Linpeng has retracted his retirement decision.

This was after he said in a media interview after a 2-2 draw with Singapore at the National Stadium on Mar. 21: "I thought about it for a long while. I think it's time to end my national team career."

As Zhang was visibly upset, a Chinese reporter asked him then if he was just being emotional.

Zhang replied: "We couldn't even defeat the Singapore team. I think it's unacceptable, and I find it humiliating."

Walked back on his words
But the 34-year-old has since walked back on his words days later.

According to Global Times, he has acknowledged that his "expressions" lacked thorough consideration and put unnecessary pressure on the team and his teammates.

He apologised to the entire team for this.

His new sentiments came after discussions with the coaching staff led by new coach Branko Ivankovic.

"As long as the country still needs me, I will give my all and persevere till the end," he said in state broadcaster China Central Television's programme "Soccer Night", Global Times reported.

China still has chance of qualifying
China still has a chance of qualifying for the World Cup after the match between South Korea and Thailand ended in a draw as well.

Zhang currently plays for Chinese Super League giant Shanghai Port.

His error in the second half of the match with Singapore is believed to have been the main reason for his opponents to equalise.

The result disappointed many Chinese fans as well as new head coach Ivankovic, who took over from Aleksandar Jankovic following the team's Asian Cup group stage exit.

"Those words I said immediately after the match clearly had a big impact on the team and the players," the defender told state television over the weekend, AFP reported.

"In fact, what I wanted to say – but maybe I didn't handle it the right way – was that my own mistake put the team into that situation (in the game)," he also admitted.

Retiring not the only option
He has apparently since thought things through.

"After two days of serious contemplation, I realise that retirement is not the only option," Zhang said.

"Whether as a starter or a substitute, or even if I can't play, as long as I can contribute to the national team; as long as the country still needs me, I will give my all and persevere to the end."

Zhang also insisted he would give all his energy to finding a replacement if needed.

China is ranked 88th in the world for men's football.

It has qualified for the World Cup once.

The team is ranked third in the four-team Group C, three points ahead of bottom-placed Singapore, ranked 156th in the world.

The two teams will play again on Mar. 26 in Tianjin, China.

Top photo via China Central Television


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laksaboy

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China is ranked 88th in the world for men's football.

It has qualified for the World Cup once.

And that was one of the worst World Cup tournaments of more recent times. :rolleyes:
 

superpower

Alfrescian
Loyal
I've given up on the Chinese national football team. Their forwards can't score, can't shoot, even with the wide open goal in front of them - they can play beautiful flowing football, they can hustle and bustle with the best of 'em, but it's always in the final 10 yards they falter, when the shooting leg turns to jelly.

It's a psychological issue - the inability to handle the pressure from the expectations of 1.4 bil fans. They should set up a National Soccer Psychotherapy Institute if they hope to rub shoulders with the big guys.

The interesting thing is the women's team doesn't have the same problem - they have played at the top level for years and was the best team in the '90s. Seems that communism has elevated the status of women but emasculated the men.
 

OverTheCounter

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
Unless the Singapore team has been peppered with foreign talents, any team who loses to an SG term ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Of course this does not apply to region-specific events like dragon boat, Sepak Takraw, or Pencak Silat.

But for any sport that has played internationally for a long time, no one should ever lose or draw against Singapore. They should consider their careers effectively over.
 
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