The 0-1 defeat of China’s U22 team against Vietnam’s U22 team on home turf at the Panda Cup 2025 has ignited a wave of fierce reactions. This was not merely a defeat in terms of the score, but also the culmination of a series of consecutive poor results for various Chinese national teams when facing Vietnamese football.
Chinese media and experts were abuzz after the U22 Vietnam match at the opening of the Panda Cup 2025 (Photo: QQ).
Chinese analysts and media have abandoned their “defensive” stance, shifting to severe internal criticism. Experts began to openly point out core issues such as weaknesses in basic skills, outdated tactical thinking, and a lack of competitive drive among young players.
Renowned Chinese sports expert Dong Lu suggested that the defeat to U22 Vietnam is a microcosm of the backwardness in Chinese football culture.
“Who is running Chinese football? An invisible net, an invisible force, and an invisible hand. Chinese football culture is the culture of a primitive society, from coaches to fans,” Dong Lu wrote on his personal page.
This shocking statement reveals the extreme dissatisfaction among Chinese football professionals with the lack of professionalism, backwardness, and the hidden forces dominating the country’s football scene.
According to Dong Lu’s analysis, this toxic environment has destroyed development, preventing the Chinese team from progressing. This accusation raises significant questions about transparency, professionalism, and the management model within the national football system, thereby explaining why they consistently fail against regional rivals like the Vietnamese team.
A Chinese football expert suggests that the country’s football is influenced by hidden forces (Photo: CFA).
The expert emphasized that even Coach Antonio Puche found himself in a dilemma due to the contradictions within the country’s football culture. According to Dong Lu, social and media pressure had already predetermined the outcome of the match against U22 Vietnam.
In this match, even if coach Antonio had won by playing long balls, he would still have been criticized. Dong Lu believes that U22 China’s 0-1 defeat at the Panda Cup stemmed from a misguided decision by coach Antonio, who attempted to change the playing style to make an impression.
“U22 China was very reluctant to play long balls; they only used short passes. Antonio initially wanted to put on a show in front of the Vice President of the Chinese Football Association, but he completely failed,” Dong Lu remarked.
Before the shocking 0-1 defeat to U22 Vietnam, U22 China under Coach Antonio Puche had an impressive 11-match unbeaten streak, asserting their position as a formidable team.
The defeat to U22 Vietnam ended U22 China’s 237-day unbeaten streak (Photo: CFA).
The defeat at the Panda Cup 2025 therefore not only ended an impressive run but was also a major shock, completely contrary to the head-to-head record and consistent form of the populous nation’s team.
Dong Lu flatly declared: “Chinese football has no advantage over Vietnamese football. With the skills of Chinese players, I think we need 20 years of training to catch up to the current level of U22 Vietnam.”
