Chinese football numb after 'disastrous' 7-0 Japan thrashing

BEIJING, SEPT 6: Chinese football fans and media rounded on the national team on Friday after they suffered fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in World Cup qualifying.

President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a chastening evening in Saitama on Thursday.

China had only squeezed into the decisive third round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup thanks to a superior head-to-head record over Thailand. China have reached the World Cup only once before, in 2002.    —AFP