Branko's boys vow to stand their ground

With its confidence restored by a dramatic 1-0 win against Bahrain, Team China is hosting group leader Japan with renewed hope for a complete turnaround of its struggling 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

The bitter memory of the traumatic rout at the hands of its East Asian neighbor remains painful, and its qualifying hope for the FIFA showpiece is still in jeopardy. The Chinese men's soccer team, though, remains in high spirits, eagerly anticipating a Tuesday rematch against Japan at home to at least prove itself a stronger contender than the punching bag that suffered a 7-0 blowout in their last encounter two months ago.

And very much of that feel-good factor comes from a morale-boosting 1-0 away win against Bahrain, following a 2-1 home victory over Indonesia, that has helped Team China draw even with Australia and Saudi Arabia on six points in Group C, which is led by the Samurai Blue.

Yet, it wasn't until the dying minutes in the Thursday fixture against Bahrain that Team China finally enjoyed the favor of fate.

Just one minute after the host had its 87th goal disallowed by the VAR for an offside by the slightest of margins, Chinese striker Zhang Yuning sent a low cross from midfielder Wang Haijian into Bahrain's net in the 91st minute, conjuring an unexpected turn of fortune that took millions of Chinese fans watching at home from "hell to heaven" in the blink of an eye.

The much-needed three points built on Team China's October win against Indonesia, bringing Branko Ivankovic's men back into the game and reigniting hope for a second World Cup finals appearance since the country made its debut in 2002.

"We felt like we had our lives saved, and the next thing I remembered was, somehow, a chance being presented to me, after a dazzling one-two play with my teammate, and then it was wild celebration," Zhang, who also scored Team China's deciding second goal against Indonesia, said of his crucial goal at the Bahrain National Stadium.

"It felt like a reward for us never having stopped fighting," said the 27-year-old former Dutch league and Bundesliga player.

"Now, facing them (Japan) again as a stronger and closer unit, we will not allow Japan to beat us up again like they did the last time."

After the current 18-nation third Asian qualifying phase, the top-two from each of the three six-team groups earn direct qualification berths to the 2026 Cup finals, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The third- and fourth-ranked sides will advance into a fourth phase to compete for the two remaining tickets to the marquee event.

As high as their confidence goes, Chinese players are under no illusions of the task ahead of them, preparing to face the Asian powerhouse, and the world's 15th-ranked team, with their feet firmly on the ground.

"Of course it will be a difficult match. After all, Japan is the top team in Asia. The only thing for us is to fight with all-out effort, leaving no regrets on the pitch," said the team's new recruit Wang Zhen'ao, who was called up by Ivankovic after the Bahrain match to replace the injured fullback Li Lei.

After five rounds, Japan has racked up 19 goals, equaling the total of all its group rivals combined, and only conceded one, an own goal from defender Shogo Taniguchi in its 1-1 draw with the Socceroos.

The red-hot Samurai Blue will enter the Egret Stadium in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province, as a clear favorite, but they remain cautious of their 92nd-ranked host's recent resurgence.

"Our opponent China will certainly spare no effort, so we should be fully prepared. The nervousness may diminish as time wears on, but we should maintain our focus throughout the game," Japan forward Ritsu Doan told Xinhua.

With better chemistry and greater resilience built through the first five games, coach Ivankovic believes his charges have finally learned how to defend and fight as one.

"We knew we were drawn into a tough group, and the first five matches met all our expectations for a very difficult campaign," the 70-year-old Croatian said during an open training session after the team returned to Xiamen on Friday.

"We will spare no effort in the game against Japan; we will hold our ground the best we can and we will compete with a strong resolve to score against them," he said.

Fitness issues, however, have emerged as a concern for the host, with a series injuries having sidelined some of Ivankovic's most trusted men, including defenders Li and Gao Zhunyi, as well as former Spanish La Liga player Wu Lei, Team China's top scorer in the current qualifying campaign.

Having experienced the worst together will push the team to draw some extra strength within, as will being rooted for by a raucous 40,000-strong, sell-out crowd at the Egret Stadium, said defending midfielder Wang Shangyuan.

"The seven-goal loss actually united us and made us closer. Sharing such a bitter experience together pushed us to fight for each other as one. That's the driving factor behind our improved performances."