After 15 years of waiting, China has finally progressed to the third and final round of Asian qualification for the 2018 World Cup! But it proved to be such an unlikely feat that even Chinese fans had given up hope after they failed to beat Hong Kong home and away in the second round of qualification.
On the final day however, the Dragons successfully beat Qatar 2-0 at Xi’an while other results gave them the advantage needed to make it through. As the fourth best runner-up, China joins teams like Japan, Australia and Korea in Round 3 which will start this August.
In contrast to the prosperity of the Chinese Super League, which has attracted some huge names from Europe and South America, the Chinese national team has constantly been a laughing stock. Time and time again, Chinese fans have witnessed their beloved team fail to beat Asian football minnows and have wondered why a country with such enormous population struggles to produce even moderately decent talents. Foreign coaches have also failed to save grace. Two recent examples, Spaniard José Antonio Camacho and Frenchman Alain Perrin, produced some of the worst results in Chinese football history.
This January the Chinese FA sacked Perrin, who was never the first choice for the country due to disappointing results in the World Cup qualifiers. Gao Hongbo, a former national team manager who had previously resigned due to poor results, took the post again to save the team from a fourth elimination in a row.
Considering his history, people had low hopes for him and the players. But the pep talk in the dressing room before the match had the desired effect, with Gao telling the players that for most this would be their last chance to ever play in the World Cup. We ultimately witnessed one of the most significant games from the national team this decade, beating Qatar — a team with more individual talent than the Dragons — 2-0 through wonderful goals to Huang Bowen and Wulei.
The final round of qualification may be another impossible mission for China, but for now fans are celebrating and singing the national anthem with pride. It is a small step forward, but the long-term absence makes people more excited than ever.
