China coach Ivankovic praises players' spirit after World Cup qualifying win

QINGDAO -- China's head coach Branko Ivankovic praised his players' fighting spirit after they ended a run of three consecutive defeats with a 2-1 win over Indonesia in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday.

First-half goals from Behram Abduweli and Zhang Yuning secured China's first victory in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The victory puts China level with Indonesia at three points after four matches in the six-team Group C, where Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain currently occupy the top four spots.

The win also energized the nearly 50,000-strong home crowd at Qingdao's Youth Football Stadium on a chilly evening in the eastern coastal city of Qingdao.

"First of all, I want to thank the players for their dedication in this game. They showed my tactical requirements, including the intensity needed to fight for ball control and the passion to win the game. They were very focused during the whole match," said Ivankovic at the press conference.

"The fans created a very good atmosphere and gave us a lot of support. They are just like the 12th player on the pitch."

The 70-year-old Croatian deployed a 4-4-2 formation with Behram and Zhang leading the attack. Wu Lei, the top scorer for both the national team and the Chinese Super League (CSL) this season, remained on the bench after missing the previous match against Australia due to injury.

Right from the start, China followed Ivankovic's instructions, playing with intensity and courage, winning key duels to maintain ball control.

Despite being the lowest-ranked team in the group, Indonesia, fielding nine naturalized players from the Netherlands, controlled more passes in their build-up play from the back to the front.

China's main threat came from long passes and set pieces. Behram opened the scoring with a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 21st minute, assisted by Jiang Shenglong following a set piece.

Zhang doubled the lead just before halftime, finishing a counterattack with a composed strike following a through ball from Gao Zhunyi, beating Indonesian goalkeeper Maarten Paes.

Zhang, who was brought by his father to watch China's sole World Cup appearance in 2002 when he was just five years old, was visibly emotional after his goal, tearing up on the field.

Indonesia narrowed the gap in the 86th minute when Thom Haye's right-footed shot from the center of the box slipped past China goalkeeper Wang Dalei.

"I'm still in an exciting mood. We had a very important win at home, and I thank all my teammates for helping me thwart a lot of dangerous attacks in the second half," said the 35-year-old Wang.

"To be honest, each player faced a lot of pressure as this is the national team, and we represent China. Personally, I've been through a lot of games in my career, but conceding 12 goals in the last three games is still rare. Since then, my family, friends and coaches have given me a lot of advice and encouragement. Thanks to them.

"At my age, I feel proud that I still have the opportunity to play for my country. No matter what the difficulties are, I will overcome them," Wang added.

Indonesia head coach Shin Tae-yong acknowledged that both teams had strong wills to win, but China perhaps demonstrated the stronger determination.

"Though we lost, we did our best. This is not the end. We will make good preparation for the next match," he said.

"We should have more concentration when China scored the first goal, and we shouldn't lose ball possession there before their second goal."

Eighteen teams are divided into three groups in the third round of AFC qualifiers. The top two teams from each group will qualify directly for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will advance to an additional round of qualifying.