Chinese coach makes strong statement in face of risk of being eliminated by Indonesia

(Dan Tri) - Coach Branko Ivankovic of the Chinese team admitted that the pressure is enormous when visiting Indonesia. However, he and his students will do everything possible to avoid being eliminated from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Before the final two matches in Group C of the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup, China is at the bottom of the table with 6 points, 3 points behind the 4th-placed team, Indonesia. Therefore, if they fail in their away match at Bung Karno Stadium at 8:45 p.m. tonight (June 5), the team from the country of a billion people will be officially eliminated.

Coach Branko Ivankovic admitted that the Chinese team has no way back (Photo: Bola).

This created tremendous pressure for coach Branko Ivankovic. Not only that, the entire Chinese team also had to play under the witness of nearly 80,000 Indonesian fans at Bung Karno Stadium.

Speaking at a press conference, the Croatian coach said: “We acknowledge the tremendous pressure when playing on Indonesia’s field. However, the whole team is prepared to turn the pressure into motivation.

Indonesia has strengthened its squad by naturalizing a number of players. This has caused us many difficulties. The whole team needs to maintain focus and avoid distractions.”

During this training camp, China introduced a series of new faces such as Hu Hetao, Wang Yudong and Liu Chengyu, as well as two naturalized players Serginho and Yang Mingyang. Most of them have not even made 4 appearances for the national team.

Speaking about the new additions, coach Branko Ivankovic shared: “We open the door for any player to wear the Chinese national team shirt. I have selected the squad very carefully. I hope they will prove their worth and create a big surprise in the match against Indonesia.”

Striker Zhang Yuning said China only wants to win. Other results are meaningless to the team (Photo: AFC).

The 71-year-old coach also showed his determination in the context of his team being pushed into a corner. He added: “The two upcoming matches against Indonesia and Bahrain are decisive for us. It will decide where the team will go.

All three teams, Indonesia, China and Bahrain, are very competitive. Indonesia is very strong but I hope China will be lucky enough to get a ticket to the next round."

Striker Zhang Yuning also showed great determination: “To win, I will try my best on the field. Other than winning, everything else is meaningless to the Chinese team.”

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-trung-quoc-tuyen-bo-danh-thep-truoc-nguy-co-bi-indonesia-loai-20250605121935758.htm