Counting on a final flourish

Chasing Socceroos

With Japan ranked 24th in the world and boasting a squad with a healthy ratio of its players plying their trade in major European leagues, China reckons its chances of advancement could instead hinge on its matches against 35th-ranked Australia.

China's head-to-head record against the Socceroos (five wins, two draws and six losses) offers a measure of encouragement, and Li has urged his players to focus on the next game as if it was a final.

"The intensity and pace in the domestic league is nowhere near what we will encounter in the forthcoming qualifying games," said Li, who recently extended his contract with the Chinese Football Association until 2026.

"We will prepare for one match at a time and now we are only thinking of Australia (on Sept 2)."

China also hopes that the suspension of club competitions in Australia due to the pandemic could give it an advantage. In contrast, the Chinese players have been competing regularly and safely in the CSL's bubble.

The red-hot scoring streak of naturalized forward Elkeson, aka Ai Kesen, during the 2021 CSL campaign, suggests Li's team should not lack for sharpness in front of goal either.

"I've rediscovered my scoring instinct after training hard and returning to play in my favorite position (center forward)," Elkeson said through an interpreter during a China Central Television interview last week.

"I hope I can score more goals on national duty to pay back the fans," said the 32-year-old Brazil native, who has netted 11 goals and laid on three assists in 13 CSL games for Guangzhou FC this year.

Brazilian-born attackers Alan and Aloisio (aka Luo Guofu), and English-born defender Tyias Browning (aka Jiang Guangtai), all of Guangzhou, complete the contingent of naturalized players.

Homegrown striker Wu, however, arguably remains China's most potent threat.

The 29-year-old, who became the first Chinese to score in La Liga in March 2019, has been a prolific supplier and finisher of goals throughout the qualifying campaign, under both Li and his predecessor, Marcello Lippi.

Since Li took the helm in January 2020, Wu has contributed five goals and three assists to help China advance to the final phase.

"I feel like it's the best chance for our generation of players to try to realize our World Cup dreams," said Wu, who will join his teammates in Doha after flying out from Barcelona.

"We are all in our prime, with certain experiences playing through ups and downs on the national team. We are confident that we can make it through this time."

Although Espanyol starts have been hard to come by for Wu over the last year, he insists his game has come on leaps and bounds in Spain.

"Being able to survive in the competitive environment in the Spanish league and find my role on the team, I've grown more confident and comfortable handling the competition back in Asia," said Wu, who has featured up front in Espanyol's two La Liga matches this season, both 0-0 draws.

"Hopefully, I can maintain my momentum into the next stage of qualifiers for the national team."