Latest news with #LinLiangming
South China Morning Post
21-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
‘Fought bravely': China boss praises players despite World Cup defeat to Saudi Arabia
China boss Branko Ivankovic praised his players following their 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a loss that leaves their chances of reaching the 20206 Fifa World Cup finals in jeopardy. Advertisement The visitors were level at half-time against one of the biggest sides in the Asian section but a red card for Lin Liangming – for a foul on Hassan Kadesh – changed the course of the match, with Salem Aldawsari scoring the only goal of the game in the 50th minute. Defeat left China bottom of Group C with three matches remaining. They are level on six points with Indonesia, who sit in fourth place with a superior goal difference – fourth spot would be good enough to make it to a further round of qualifying. 'I thanked and congratulated my players for handing in such a wonderful display under such tough circumstances,' Ivankovic said. 'I hope we shift our focus to the next match as soon as possible because it's always the next match that is more crucial. 'From our point of view, as professional players, they need to embrace the challenges. We lost to Saudi, they are a powerhouse in Asia, they always played in the World Cup; we lost to a great team but our players fought bravely until the end on the pitch.' China boss Branko Ivankovic praised his players' bravery in Saudi Arabia. Photo: Xinhua Next up for China is the visit of second-placed Australia, who warmed up with a thumping 5-1 victory over Indonesia.
South China Morning Post
02-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Chinese Super League: Shanghai, Beijing fans clash after dramatic end to match
Videos shared on social media have captured apparent clashes involving football fans of Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan after the Chinese Super League clubs met in a bad-tempered match on Saturday. Advertisement There were angry scenes outside the ground after the teams' 2-2 draw at the home of Shenhua, before the drama continued with confrontations between rival fans on the streets of Shanghai. A dramatic finale to the match led to a melee in the middle of the pitch involving players and staff from both sides as the rivalry between clubs from the mainland Chinese cities boiled over. One of the clips shared on social media showed a large group of supporters later aiming kicks and punches at one other at traffic lights on a busy road. In Saturday's match, Lin Liangming stunned the home crowd when he put Guoan ahead after 11 minutes but Wu Xi's equaliser and a penalty from Andre Luis turned the game around before half-time.
