[By Lin Zhuozhen Qatar] On Wednesday, China will face Group A rival Lebanon in the second round of the Asian Cup final week. After a draw with Tajikistan in the first round, the national soccer team is in dire need of all three points to reverse the unfavorable situation. Wu Lei, the top striker in the starting lineup, emphasized in the pre-match press conference that the game is crucial for both teams, while admitting that the team has shortcomings that need to be improved. Head coach Aleksandar Jankovic, meanwhile, shared his strategy on how to help the national soccer team ease the pressure.
The national football team shook hands with Tajikistan 0-0 in the first round, failing to seize three points, and the situation of promotion became serious. On the eve of the match against Lebanon, Wu Lei also said in the press conference that this match is crucial for the lineup: we drew the first match, I believe all players are aware of the importance of this match, and I believe that the Lebanese players also have the same idea with me.
Striker Wu Lei, who used to play for Espinho in La Liga, was naturally highly anticipated by fans for this tournament as he scored 18 goals in last season's Chinese Super League, placing him at the second place in the list of top scorers. However, in the match with Tan Long in the front line, Wu Lei looked isolated and in low form. He admitted after the game that there were shortcomings in the battle with Tajik: After the game, we reviewed and watched the video and found some problems. We will definitely look for solutions to these problems. The intensity of our confrontation in the first game was not enough, but I believe we will improve in this area as the game progresses.
Head coach Aleksandar Jankovic admitted after the game that the national football team was under pressure and pointed out that the team has a lot of room for improvement: it is the challenge of the head coach to face the pressure of difficult moments. We made the most mistakes in the first half of any team in the tournament, it's not a statistic I'm proud of, but I have a plan to find a solution and I'm not going to avoid the problem. Asked how he would target Lebanon's weaknesses, Aleksandar Jankovic refused to comment: it would be disrespectful to discuss the weaknesses of our opponents before the match, I prefer to talk about our own shortcomings. We didn't do enough to control the ball in the last game and I hope we can play the way we want to in this game.
