Hey friends! 👋 Did you hear the exciting news about China’s soccer team? ⚽️ On Thursday, China played against Bahrain in a super important World Cup qualifying match. And guess what? They won 1-0 with a last-minute goal! 🎉
The Match
The game took place in Manama, the capital city of Bahrain. It was a tough match! China and Bahrain have played each other eight times before. China won the first three games, and the next four games were all draws. This time, both teams really wanted to win!
In the 11th minute, Zhang Yuning, one of China’s star players, almost scored. He dashed into the penalty area and took a shot, but Bahrain’s goalkeeper, Ebrahim Lutfalla, made a great save! 🧤
Sadly, a bit later, China’s player Li Lei got injured and had to leave the game. Hu Hetao came in to replace him.
Second Half Excitement
In the second half, China kept trying to score. Zhang Yuning had another chance with a header, but again, the goalkeeper saved it. Bahrain also tried to score, and in the 87th minute, Ali Haram seemed to have scored a goal! But after checking with VAR (that’s Video Assistant Referee, which helps officials see if a goal is okay), the goal was canceled. Phew! 😅
The Winning Goal
Then, in the very first minute of extra time, magic happened! ✨ Wang Haijian sent a perfect cross from the left side, and Zhang Yuning was right there in front of the goal. He kicked the ball into the net! GOOOAAAL! 🥅⚽️ The crowd went wild, and China took the lead 1-0.
What’s Next?
With this victory, China earned three more points. Now, they have six points, just like Australia and Saudi Arabia! Their next big game is against Japan on November 19th. That will be super exciting!
Remember, the top two teams from the group will go straight to the World Cup in 2026, which will be hosted by Canada, the USA, and Mexico. 🌎 The teams in third and fourth place will still have a chance to qualify but will have to play more matches.
Cheering for China!
Let’s cheer for China as they continue their journey to the World Cup! Go team! 🇨🇳🎊
Reference(s):
China get past Bahrain 1-0 in World Cup AFC qualifier for second win
cgtn.com
