China’s coach is saddened after ‘the toughest night of his career’

Branko Ivanković, China’s coach, expressed regret after what he described as the toughest night of his career, following his team’s 7-0 thrashing by Japan in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The humiliating defeat in Saitama on Thursday, against Asia’s top-ranked team, was China’s worst loss in World Cup qualifying, falling just one goal short of their record 8-0 defeat to Brazil in 2012.

Ivanković had previously led Oman to a surprising 1-0 victory over Japan in the final qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he had no hope of repeating the feat this time, as Japan, ranked 24th globally, delivered a stunning performance at the Saitama Stadium.

Ivanković told the Chinese state news agency Xinhua: “Japan is not only one of the strongest teams in Asia but also a world-class team. We focused particularly on defense during our preparations for the match, but we conceded many goals. Some of these goals should not have gone in. It was a tough match. As a coach, it was the toughest night of my career.”