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In just a few hours’ time, China’s Asian Cup hopes will be a lot clearer. At 1935 local time, the Chinese men’s national team take on Saudi Arabia in Xian, knowing that a win will seal their place in the Asian Cup.
Qualifying takes place insanely early, with the tournament in Australia still 416 days away, but China has two chances to get the points they need, and results elsewhere could mean qualification even with no win tonight. As I wrote in this week’s Sports Talk column, though, the sooner China gets the job done the better:
Should Saudi Arabia prevail Tuesday in Xi’an, and Iraq takes at least a point against Indonesia, the Chinese will face a four-month wait – which will feel like four years – until their next and final qualifying game against Iraq. The game will take place in Dubai due to security concerns in Iraq, but it’s not a place the Chinese will relish visiting if their qualification fate is still undecided.
Updates to follow as the match progresses.
Photo credit: CFP
