China face harder job at next World Cup qualification, says former captain

BEIJING - China have to brace themselves for a harder job in the next FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, the men's national team's former captain Feng Xiaoting said.

China completed their fraught 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-0 loss to Oman on Tuesday, leaving them fifth in Group B with six points from one win, three draws and six losses.

"I felt powerless watching the Oman match as if all our players were carrying heavy shackles on the field," Feng said.

"Oman played with much ease. The gap between the two teams is obvious," he said.

The 36-year-old former Chinese skipper warned that China will face a herculean task in the next World Cup qualification campaign as they failed to develop young quality players.

"For sure, our next campaign will be more difficult, because our youths are not good enough," he said.

"If they are not among the top four in Asia, you can not expect good performances from them," he added.