{"id":75441,"date":"2024-03-26T02:10:04","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T02:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/china-skipper-makes-retirement-u-turn-with-wc-hopes-in-balance-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-03-26T02:10:04","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T02:10:04","slug":"china-skipper-makes-retirement-u-turn-with-wc-hopes-in-balance-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/china-skipper-makes-retirement-u-turn-with-wc-hopes-in-balance-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"China skipper makes retirement U-turn with WC hopes in balance | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nBEIJING:
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

China captain Zhang Linpeng is in line to play in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, days after quitting international football over the “disgrace” of a draw with Singapore.<\/p>\n

Known as China’s answer to Sergio Ramos because he also plays centre-back and also has numerous tattoos, Zhang said he’d had enough after his team surrendered a 2-0 lead at Singapore on Thursday.<\/p>\n

“We can’t even manage to beat Singapore at this point,” the 34-year-old fumed in the aftermath.<\/p>\n

“Personally I find it unbearable. It’s a disgrace.”<\/p>\n

But with China’s chances of reaching the World Cup for only a second time in the balance, Zhang has had a swift change of heart.<\/p>\n

“Those words I said immediately after the match clearly had a big impact on the team and the players,” the defender told state television at the weekend.<\/p>\n

“In fact, what I wanted to say — but maybe I didn’t handle it the right way — was that my own mistake put the team into that situation (in the game).<\/p>\n

“In that respect, first of all as the captain, I don’t think I led the team properly.”<\/p>\n

He added: “Now I’ve thought back over it, as long as the national team needs me — whether that’s as a first-choice player, as a substitute or even if I don’t get on to the pitch — I’m still willing to give everything I have for this team.”<\/p>\n

China host Singapore on Tuesday in Tianjin and are third in their World Cup qualifying group. Only the top two advance to the final stage on the road to 2026.<\/p>\n

South Korea top the group and poised to go through, with China and Thailand tied on four points, but the Thais have a better goal difference.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BEIJING: China captain Zhang Linpeng is in line to play in a crucial World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, days after quitting international football over the “disgrace” of a draw with Singapore. Known as China’s answer to Sergio Ramos because he also plays centre-back and also has numerous tattoos, Zhang said he’d had enough after his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.tribune.com.pk\/media\/images\/zhang1711367278-0\/zhang1711367278-0.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t