SINGAPORE, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China squandered a 2-0 lead to ultimately draw 2-2 with Singapore away in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers second stage here on Thursday, courtesy of Wu Lei's brace.
Both teams appointed head coaches just before the match. After the first two rounds, China sit third in Group C with one victory and one defeat, while Singapore lost two consecutive matches.
China broke the deadlock in the 10th minute, when Wu headed home thanks to a right cross from Wang Shangyuan.
In the 31st minute, Wu won a penalty for China, but his sloppy shot was saved by Singaporean goalkeeper Hassan Sunny.
China extended the lead to 2-0 in the stoppage time of the first half as Wu netted in a rebound shot after a long distance strike from Xie Pengfei.
The momentum of the match changed dramatically in the second half, with Faris Ramli pulled one goal back for the home team in the 53rd minute, after Chinese defender deflected his shot, leaving Yan Junling helpless.
In the 81st minute, Chinese team captain Zhang Linpeng missed a critical clearance and gave substitute Jacob Mahler an open goal opportunity in the penalty area to score the equalizer.
After the disappointing draw, China still rank third in the group, trailing the group leaders South Korea by three points and on par with Thailand but behind on goal difference, while Singapore got its first point of the tournament.
In the other match of Group C on Thursday, South Korea was held by Thailand 1-1 at home.
China will play back-to-back match against Singapore at home in Tianjin next Tuesday. ■
