Guess what, soccer fans! China had an exciting 3-1 victory over Kuwait in a friendly match in Dubai, United Arab Emirates! 🎉⚽ And there’s more—China’s newest player, Sai Erjiniao (Serginho), made his debut on his 30th birthday! 🎂
In the first half of the game, China was on fire! 🔥 Li Lei scored the first goal, putting China ahead. Then, Kuwait accidentally scored an own goal, which means they kicked the ball into their own net. Oops! 😯 Behram Abduweli added another goal for China just before halftime, making it 3-0!
In the second half, both teams changed some players. That’s when the 30-year-old Sai Erjiniao (Serginho), who used to have dual citizenship from Italy and Brazil, stepped onto the field for his first game with China. 🎉 Wang Yudong also made his debut for the Chinese team. How cool is that?
Serginho is playing his first season with Chinese Super League (CSL) club Beijing Guoan, after spending five years with Changchun Yatai. This week, he was super excited to show his new Chinese ID card on social media!
Near the end of the match, Kuwait scored a goal to make it 3-1. But China still came out on top! 🏆
Now, China is heading to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to get ready for an important 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying game against Saudi Arabia on Thursday. After that, they’ll play against Australia in Hangzhou on Tuesday.
China is trying to climb up in Group C of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in Canada, the USA, and Mexico! The top two teams in the group will go straight to the World Cup, so these upcoming games are super important!
Let’s cheer for China as they aim for a spot in the World Cup! Go team! 🎉⚽
Reference(s):
China beat Kuwait 3-1 in friendly as naturalized Serginho makes debut
cgtn.com
