China coach describes humiliating WC qualifier defeat to Japan as "most difficult night"

SAITAMA, Japan, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- China national team head coach Branko Ivankovic said "this was the most difficult night" for him after a humiliating 7-0 defeat against Japan in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier here on Thursday.

"Japan is not only one of Asia's strongest teams but also a world-class team. We specifically focused on defense during our pre-match preparations, but we conceded too many g