China looks to 'Serg' in Saudi

With a new offensive weapon in its arsenal and a solid training camp paying dividends, Team China is primed to resume its 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in style, aiming to stun host Saudi Arabia in a crucial fixture on Thursday.

Despite being halfway through the third-phase of qualifiers and ranked bottom in the six-team Group C, the Chinese men's team has arrived in Riyadh in high spirits stemming from a naturalized new recruit and the feel-good factor of a morale-boosting warm-up win.

The result of the late-night match in Riyadh, which kicks off early Friday morning, Beijing time, will decide Team China's fate one way or the other, even with three more qualifiers left to play.

Led by Croatian head coach Branko Ivankovic, Team China finished its 2024 campaign with three wins, two draws and five losses, and, in the current phase, is tied with the Saudis, Indonesia and Bahrain on six points, only one behind current group runner-up Australia. The group-leading powerhouse Japan is already out of sight on 16 points.

Should it upset the Saudis as hoped, Team China will likely break out of the current four-team draw to close the gap with the Socceroos and the runaway Samurai Blue, both of which are expected to dominate in their respective home ties with Bahrain and Indonesia on Thursday.

One point from a draw on the road against the world's 59th-ranked nation would also be an acceptable outcome for Ivankovic's men, and would still keep them in the running. The top two teams from each of the three groups secure direct qualification to the 2026 Cup finals, while the third- and fourth-placed sides progress to a fourth phase to fight for the two remaining direct tickets to next summer's marquee tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After a two-week training camp based in Dubai, all his players are 100 percent physically and mentally ready for the high-stakes battle against the Saudis, with some new blood bringing vitality and healthy competition to his squad, according to Ivankovic.

"The training camp has worked pretty well for us. All of our players have shown optimal form, met my requirements in training and drills, and practiced the tactics to a high standard," said the 71-year-old Croatian, who took over Team China from Serbian interim manager Aleksandar Jankovic one year ago.

Ivankovic's optimism was backed up by a 3-1 warm-up win on Saturday over Kuwait, which is fighting for its own survival in Group B.

"I think a warm-up win like this was very important. It helped us gel better as one unit and better exercise our plays than we could in training," said Ivankovic, who led Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan to a domestic title in 2010.

Building on the team's collective strength is the newly recruited playmaker Serginho, a Brazilian-born attacking midfielder with CSL club Beijing Guo'an, who has met the five-year requirement of playing in China's domestic league, and recently acquired Chinese citizenship to be eligible for a call-up by Ivankovic.

Serginho, who is known in China as Sai Erjiniao, joined his adopted national team last week in Dubai and made an immediate impact offensively — an area where Team China has been crying out for creativity and experience — during the warm-up win against Kuwait.

"I am really happy that we brought him in. I hope he can fit in as quickly as possible, and we will, for sure, try to maximize his value on our roster," said Ivankovic.

In recent years, China's struggling national team has followed other countries by turning to naturalized players, mostly Brazilians plying their trade in the CSL, but has reaped very few benefits.

Also named in Ivankovic's 27-man squad is Liverpool-born former England youth international defender Tyias Browning, now called Jiang Guangtai, who has emerged as one of the few reliable and consistent naturalized representatives for Team China.

The 30-year-old Serginho, who was developed in youth program of Brazilian club Santos, made his domestic top-flight debut in 2014, before moving to Japan, where he helped the Kashima Antlers win the AFC Champions League in 2018.

He was signed by Changchun Yatai, then in China's second-tier League One, in January 2020. He played 96 matches for the club in both League One and the CSL, scoring 27 goals, before drawing attention from Guo'an.

Even with the strong addition of Serginho, Chinese players have vowed to rely on their collective strength, particularly in defense, to realize their goal of leaving Riyadh with at least a point.

"I think we need everyone, from everywhere, to play a high-quality match against the Saudis, no matter who is on the pitch or on the bench," said Chinese defender Gao Zhunyi.

"I've done my research and preparation for containing Saudi's most dangerous offensive player. He's a very skillful attacker, and I am sure I will get help from my teammates and we can execute what we've planned collectively as one," Gao said of Saudi's veteran goalscorer Salem Al-Dawsari.

The six critical points earned by Team China's two wins so far in the current phase, against Bahrain and Indonesia, respectively, will alleviate some of the pressure on the squad, knowing that it still has two remaining matches against the group underdogs to pick up points.

"If we just relax and give it our all, I'm confident the result will take care of itself for us," said Gao.