Captains of both teams competing for the ball
China again failed to achieve its first win in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup as it drew with Lebanon.
China drew 0-0 in the second match of Group A of the Asian Cup against Lebanon held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar at 8:30 pm (Korean time) on the 17th.
China (79th), who was tied 0-0 in the first leg with Tajikistan, ranked 106th in the FIFA rankings on the 13th, did not score and drew against Lebanon, which ranked 107th.
This left China with 2 draws. They must win the third game against the host nation, Qatar, on the 22nd to advance to the round of 16.
Lebanon, with 1 draw and 1 loss, was also in desperate need of a win against Tajikistan in the third game.
The game was fierce. Lebanon also lost 0-3 to Qatar in the first game, so they played aggressively to win the second game.
After a defensive battle, Lebanon took the decisive opportunity first. In the 24th minute of the first half, Omar Bugiel headed a cross posted by Hussein Al Zein, but it headed toward the top of the goal.
During Lebanon’s counterattack in the 35th minute of the first half, Kali Khamis aimed at the Chinese goal once again with a header, but the zero point was not accurate.
China also seized the opportunity. In the 44th minute of the first half, Jang Yu-ning even hit a shot during a chaotic situation in the penalty box, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.
The second half continued with a similar flow to the first half.
In the 18th minute of the second half, Hasan Srur, assisted by Ali Tneich, attempted a right-footed shot, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Not to be outdone, China also targeted the Lebanese goal in the 20th minute of the second half. The goalkeeper could not properly handle Dai Weijun’s cross from the right side and the ball went out. Wu Lei touched this with his foot, but the defender handled it and it did not result in a goal.
As neither team scored a goal, there was an argument between the players of both teams during a clash in the 27th minute of the second half.
Afterwards, both teams operated more aggressively to score the winning goal. However, no goals were scored in the end, and the game ended in a draw.
Meanwhile, the game on this day attracted attention as referee Ko Hyeong-jin, a Korean national, served as the referee.
On the 15th, in the match between Korea and Lebanon, referee Maning of China became the referee and caused controversy.
Korea won 3-1, but referee Manning gave warnings to the players even for minor collisions. As many as five Korean players received yellow cards.
Accordingly, Chinese netizens were concerned about the possibility of a similar situation occurring.
Contrary to concerns, referee Ko Hyeong-jin gave only one warning. In the 30th minute of the first half, all that occurred was a yellow card due to a foul by Jang Yuning.
However, when Lebanon’s Khamis hit China’s Dai Weijun in the face with his foot in the 13th minute of the first half, no warning was given, causing the Chinese media ‘Sohu’ to question referee Ko’s decision.
◎ Sympathetic media Newsis wlsduq123@newsis.com
2024-01-17 13:54:00
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