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Quoc An players played poorly. |
The 1-2 defeat against Hanoi Police (CAHN) in the AFC Champions League Two not only eliminated Beijing Guoan from the second-tier Asian competition, but also clearly exposed the weakness of the Chinese players in the squad, something that had been simmering for a long time but was now harder to hide than ever.
Chinese players received the lowest scores
Both sides used a mixture of foreign and domestic players. However, while CAHN's domestic players played a big role in helping the home team win, China's domestic players "harmed" the home team. Fang Hao missed a golden opportunity, kicking the ball into Stefan Mauk, accidentally creating a 1-1 equalizer for CAHN, a performance that was only enough to receive 5.9 points.
Zhang Yuning, a highly-anticipated striker, also squandered a one-on-one opportunity before hitting the crossbar, and was given a 5.7. Worst of all was Cao Yongjing: after losing his temper and receiving a straight red card, he was only given a 4.5, the lowest score of the match. Other players such as Jiang Wenhao, Li Lei, Wang Gang and Zhang Yuan also played poorly and were ranked below average, further highlighting the decline in performance of the domestic force.
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The scores reveal reality. |
Ironically, the highest-rated Chinese player in the match was goalkeeper Zhang Jianzhi with 7.5 points, who had to make a series of saves to help his team avoid a heavier defeat. In fact, throughout the match, Beijing Guoan was almost completely dominated by CAHN, from possession rate up to 60% to 21 shots, of which 9 were on target. The home team's xG index of up to 2.93 is evidence of the Chinese goalkeeper's prolonged inferiority and his ability to carry the team.
That weakness is also reflected in the results of the confrontation with CAHN: only two matches but Quoc An only got 1 point, drew 2-2 in the first leg and lost 1-2 in the second leg. This achievement makes their elimination from the second-tier Asian tournament completely understandable.
The total collapse of Chinese football in 2025
The defeat against CAHN is not an isolated incident, but rather a mirror reflecting the overall decline of Chinese football in 2025, from club level to national team level.
At club level, 2025 marked one of the worst seasons for Chinese football in Asia. In the Champions League Elite, the continent’s top competition, all three representatives, Shanghai Port, Chengdu Rongcheng and Shanghai Shenhua, finished in the bottom three of the eastern region, even below Thailand’s Buriram United.
Even in a lower level like AFC Champions League Two, Beijing Guoan, considered one of the teams with good squad depth, was eliminated early. This shows that the problem does not lie in facing strong opponents, but in their internal quality: from tactical thinking, physical foundation to competitive spirit.
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Quoc An lost to CAHN and was eliminated. |
This alarming situation becomes even more evident at the national team level. The Chinese national team failed to reach the fourth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after finishing fifth in a group of six (below Indonesia), eliminated before the final round. The youth teams did not fare much better: the U20s were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the U20 Asian Cup despite playing at home, while the U17s lost two consecutive group stage matches against Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan and left the tournament without leaving any mark.
The only bright spot was that U22 qualified for the U23 Asian Cup, but in reality they only beat weak opponents like Northern Mariana Islands and Timor Leste, then drew with Australia in a "handshake" to advance as the best second-placed team, an achievement not strong enough to dispel concerns about their ability.
All that has happened in 2025 shows that Chinese football is stuck in a cycle of decline. Domestic players lack both technique and courage, their physical strength rapidly declines after the 60th minute, their ability to withstand pressure is poor and they lack international experience. These things not only make them fail at club level but also show clearly when they step into the national team arena.
Therefore, the defeat against CAHN is not just a single loss, but a microcosm of a dismal year for Chinese football. And if there is no fundamental reform, similar failures will be repeated for many years to come.
Source: https://znews.vn/cong-an-ha-noi-phoi-bay-that-bai-toan-dien-cua-bong-da-trung-quoc-post1606565.html
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