The Chinese Mainland secured a convincing 4-1 victory against Singapore in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier held in Tianjin Municipality on Tuesday. This win follows a 2-2 draw in their previous encounter last week.
Wu Lei, the top goal-scorer for the Chinese team and a four-time Golden Ball award winner, opened the scoring in the 21st minute. Singapore's Faris Ramli quickly leveled the match just a minute later. The Chinese Mainland regained the lead in the 79th minute through Yi Yuanyi and extended it further in the 85th minute with another goal from Wu. Wei Shihao sealed the win in the 90th minute.
Despite a shaky start that saw the team forced to a draw after squandering a 2-0 lead last week, Wu Lei delivered a standout performance with a double and an assist. The Chinese Mainland now sits third in the group with four points, trailing South Korea by three points and Thailand by goal difference, while Singapore remains at one point.
In a strategic move, head coach Branko Ivankovic benched captain Zhang Linpeng and goalkeeper Yan Junling, opting for Gao Zhunyi and Wang Dalei instead. Singapore had to make five changes to their starting lineup due to injuries and suspensions.
The match, witnessed by 42,977 spectators, saw several pivotal moments. After breaking the deadlock with a goal from Wu, a mistake by Chinese left back Liu Yang allowed Faris Ramli to score for Singapore. The Chinese Mainland responded with a penalty scored by Fei Nanduo in the 65th minute.
Later in the game, Wu Lei received a yellow card, resulting in his suspension for the next critical match against Thailand. Chinese midfielder Li Yuanyi was sent off in the 80th minute for a dangerous tackle, leaving the team with ten men. Undeterred, Wu Lei scored again in the 85th minute, followed by an assist to Wei Shihao, ensuring the victory.
In the other Group C match, South Korea triumphed over Thailand 3-0, leading the group with 10 points. The Chinese Mainland moves up to second place with seven points, three ahead of Thailand. Their next matches against Thailand and South Korea in June will determine their progression to the next round.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
