Despite being highly rated, the Chinese team unexpectedly suffered a 1-2 defeat against Hong Kong (China) in a friendly match on January 1. It should be added that Hong Kong (China) is only ranked 150th in the world and is 71 places below the Chinese team in the FIFA rankings.

This defeat shocked the Chinese press. They harshly criticized the home team and expressed pessimism about the success of coach Jankovic and his team at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Sohu newspaper commented: "The 2023 Asian Cup is considered an opportunity for the Chinese team to evaluate the competition for 8.5 places to attend the 2026 World Cup. If coach Jankovic brings the Chinese team to the quarterfinals, it will be a great success.

However, if looking at the current situation, the team's chances of reaching the quarterfinals are very low. If they keep losing like this, how can the team dream of a ticket to the World Cup? Coach Janlovic's team has lost to Oman, Uzbekistan and Hong Kong. The Chinese team's hopes of going deep in the 2023 Asian Cup are very dim.

China's three opponents at the 2023 Asian Cup are Tajikistan, Lebanon and Qatar. This is not a very difficult group, but with the current situation, it is difficult for the Chinese team to get a ticket to the group stage. Perhaps, it is more reasonable for the team to strive for a win."

The Chinese national team has no friendly matches ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup. They will start their tournament against Tajikistan on January 13.