China's men's national football team lost 0-1 to Tajikistan at the Chongqing International Invitational, 人民网 reported on Tuesday. The defeat marks the team's third consecutive loss.
According to 人民网, the result came against a Tajikistan side that China had never previously lost to, a point highlighted by finance.sina.com.cn in its coverage of the match.
Head coach Shao Jiayi addressed the result afterward, with 凤凰网 reporting that he apologized following the three-match losing run. Shao described the defeat as bitter but said the trial-and-error process was a positive, according to the same outlet.
Speaking further, Shao said the team's performance during the match was acceptable and that the squad needs a period of experimentation, 虎扑体育 reported. ThePaper.cn also carried his apology, in which he said the team must work harder in the matches ahead.
The loss adds to a difficult stretch for the national team, which has now dropped three games in a row. The Chongqing invitational formed part of the team's recent schedule of international fixtures.
Attention now turns to how Shao and his squad respond in their next outing, and whether the adjustments he described as part of a testing phase produce a change in results.
