Underdogs China will not be bullied by World Cup qualifying rivals, vows coach Ivankovic
- China face uphill battle to get through next qualifying stage, but head coach Branko Ivankovic says side ‘has quality’ to compete with best
China will go into the next phase of Asia’s qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup with head coach Branko Ivankovic pledging they will not be pushovers, despite facing regional heavyweights Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia.
The Chinese kept dreams of a place in Canada, Mexico and the United States alive by the narrowest of margins when the previous round concluded earlier this month, advancing ahead of Thailand with a better head-to-head record over the Southeast Asians.
Ivankovic’s appointment led to a turnaround in the team’s fortunes, but an even tougher task now lies ahead, with the underdogs also up against Bahrain and Indonesia in Group C.
“We are very happy to be among the best Asian teams and we will prepare ourselves as well as possible,” Ivankovic told the Post. “The most important thing is for players to come into any game with full self-confidence and to be positive about how we can beat our opponent, it doesn’t matter if it’s Japan, Australia or Saudi Arabia.
“It will be very tough but I’m the coach and we have come here to play qualifying games. We want to do something. We have the quality to be very competitive with any team in our group.”
The experienced Croatian, who took Iran to the World Cup in Germany in 2006, has overseen a major mood change within the Chinese game since replacing Serbia’s Aleksandar Jankovic.
