Chinese football team captain has decided to retire from international duties after the 2-2 draw with the Singapore Lions on Thursday (21 March).
During an interview with Chinese media, Zhang Linpeng admitted that he did not lead well as a captain.
Source: Sohu
He added that he could not accept the way his team addressed problems on the pitch.
During a post-game interview with Chinese media, Zhang admitted that his team encountered many problems during the match with Singapore.
Source: Sohu
He also acknowledged that he didn’t lead the team well as the skipper, thus disappointing fans.
When asked about his emotional response, Zhang claimed it was embarrassing that the Chinese team couldn’t beat their counterparts from Singapore:
We can’t even beat a team like Singapore. I can’t accept this, it’s an embarrassment.
Zhang said that after mulling things over, he has decided to retire from his international duties.
Speaking to the press after the game, China head coach Branko Ivankovic said he warned the team not to be complacent during the half-time break.
Source: South China Morning Post
The coach stressed the need to “improve the efficiency to goal in the coming game” and said they have a lot of corrections to make.
“The team needs to do all the efforts to win the next game,” he said.
The two teams will face each other again in Tianjin next Tuesday (26 March).
The Singapore Lions came back from a two-goal deficit during the World Cup Asian Qualifiers (WCAQ) with China on 21 March.
China entered the half-time break with a two-goal lead. Yet, the Singapore team somehow found the net twice with strikes from two substitutes who came on during half-time, ending the match 2-2.
Singapore remains at the bottom of Group C after the draw.
Also read: S’pore Lions roared to unexpected 2-2 draw in new coach’s first game with China
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Featured image adapted from Sohu and Sports China via Xinhua News on X.
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