(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-02-05 10:16

Good things never come easy and Chinese playmaker Zheng Zhi's return to the national team is a good example of that.

Due to his commitment to English Championship club Charlton Athletic, Zheng, known as ZZ to fans, has not appeared in a single international match since the Asian Cup in July.

Zheng finally joined the team after a long flight from London to Dubai, home base of the tough Iraqi side China will play against for the nation's first World Cup Asian Zone qualifier tomorrow.

China defender Sun Xiang trains with his teammates as the national team gears up for its World Cup Asian qualifier against Iraq in Dubai tomorrow. China only qualified once for the World Cup, when it lost group matches without scoring a goal in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. [CFP]

China's coach Vladimir Petrovic, who took over in September after Zhu Guanghu was sacked following China's elimination from the Asian Cup, has been hoping Charlton would release Zheng for some of the team's international warm-ups so the team could get to known to each other better.

But Charlton manager Alan Pardew rejected Petrovic's request due to Zheng's pivotal role in his club's quest to return to the English Premiership.

Now Chinese fans, many of whom will have their eyes on the team's first fixture instead of China's Lunar New Year festivities, pin their hopes on Zheng, hoping he'll duplicate his outstanding performance at Charlton and lead the team to a win or a draw against Iraq.

Zheng expressed his confidence in winning the match or even finally advancing to the World Cup finals since it might be his last chance.

"For me, this might be the last chance to compete in a World Cup. I will not give up until the last minute," said Zheng, who will be 34 for the 2014 World Cup.

"All the national team players about my age will treasure this opportunity. We will try to beat Iraq and set up a beautiful start for future matches."

China's soccer team has been rife with pessimism since China was drawn into the "group of death" for its third-round World Cup qualifier. The difficult group also includes former Oceania champion Australia, Asian Cup champion Iraq and Asian Games champion Qatar.

But both Zheng and coach Petrovic are upbeat about their opening clash.

"We are coming here to win. I did a lot of work to know our opponent. I do not see any place that we can not match them," said Petrovic. "And I also know that day is Chinese New Year's Eve. I will give the best gift to Chinese people and make sure everyone has a happy new year."

Zheng echoed the coach's remarks, saying history favors China.

"Iraq is the Asian Cup champion but it does not mean it's the No 1 in Asia," he said.

"In the 2004 Asian Cup, we beat them 3-0 on home soil. In the 2006 Asian Cup qualifier, we drew 1-1 but we controlled the match. They did not change too much and some of the best players are still on the team. There is no reason to be afraid of them."

An in-form Zheng has scored an impressive nine goals for Charlton this season and has become a popular figure at the south London club.

His attacking and creativity will be the lynchpin of the midfield, as China plans to play more aggressive soccer.

"We will play more aggressively and forwardly," Petrovic said. "If we choose to play a conservative match, it's more likely we'll lose.

"I know how much this match means to our fans. We have to play a beautiful match even if the result is a draw. We will attack and attack. If we win, we will come back home and play our second match against Australia with our morale high."

Apart from Zheng, another two players based in Europe - Premier League club Manchester City right back Sun Jihai and Manchester United teenage striker Dong Fangzhuo - have also joined the team, but their form is still in doubt due to the long flight and the time change.

But Zheng dismissed the concerns.

"It does not make any difference to me. It's just like two matches a week in the league," Zheng said. "It's still in the middle of the season so the physical stamina is not the problem. There is the time difference but it's also not a big deal."

Petrovic's fellow coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who is also in charge of the national team, said Zheng will be in the starting lineup but the other two remain questionable.

"Zheng is very important to the team. The national team is short of a player like Zheng," said Dujkovic. "Sun and Dong are not at their best. We will wait and see if they are able to play."