SEOUL, Few pundits or fans would give 88th-ranked China much of a chance to defeat South Korea, world No. 23, when the two Asian sides meet in a World Cup qualifying match Tuesday in Seoul.
But Branko Ivankovic, head coach for China, believes his players are capable of delivering a surprise when they face South Korea at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium to wrap up the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“We will face a strong team, but we are confident. We’re not here as tourists,” Ivankovic said Monday during his prematch press conference at Seoul World Cup Stadium. “They have a lot of quality players, including a world-class player like Son Heung-min. And ideally, we have to defend them as a team.”
This will be the final Group C match for both teams, and they find themselves in a much different position.
South Korea have already clinched the top spot in the group with 13 points and have secured a place in the third round. China, on the other hand, must come away
with at least a draw against South Korea to advance to the third round without needing help.
China are currently in second place with eight points, and Thailand trail them by three points. And if China and Thailand finish tied in points — with a Thai win over Singapore and a China loss Tuesday — then they will go to the goal difference tiebreaker to determine who will join South Korea in the next round.
China have a better goal difference for now, +1 to Thailand’s -2. That could change Tuesday, considering that Thailand will be heavily favored against Singapore and China will likely have difficulty scoring against South Korea, who have conceded just one goal in five matches so far.
Ivankovic knows a thing or two about upsets. He coached Oman to a shock 1-0 win over mighty Japan during the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualification in September 2021.
“That victory meant a great deal. It gave Oman so much joy,” the Croatian coach recalled. “We pulled off that win because we fought as a team. And we w
ill take the same approach against South Korea. The players are ready and we’re going to create a surprise.”
Fei Nanduo, a Brazilian-born winger naturalized as Chinese citizen, chimed in: “We know South Korea are a good team, but we’ll try to come away with a good result.”
In 37 meetings, South Korea have had 22 wins, 13 draws and two losses against China.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
