Dong Lu: China should learn from Vietnam after losing 0-1.

China's U22 team lost 0-1 to Vietnam's U22 team in their opening match at the 2025 Panda Cup. Amidst a wave of domestic criticism, veteran commentator Dong Lu emphasized that Chinese football must learn from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian teams before aiming for bigger goals at the continental or World Cup level.

A 0-1 home defeat and the resulting public outcry.

The 0-1 defeat against Vietnam U22 was considered a major shock to Chinese fans. Domestic media and experts unanimously criticized the players' abilities, the coaching staff, and the development direction of the Chinese Football Association.

Message from Dong Lu: Set Southeast Asian milestones before dreaming big.

Amidst heated debate, Dong Lu stated frankly: Chinese football "must look to Southeast Asian teams like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia as role models." He emphasized, "If even that goal cannot be achieved, then the so-called 'restoring our position in Asia' or 'challenging the World Cup' is just wishful thinking," Dong Lu said.

System bottlenecks have been identified.

• Ineffective professional decisions and a lack of clear direction across multiple generations of players.
• Constant personnel changes: frequent changes in officials and coaches.
• The development environment is dominated by public opinion, often guided by people who don't understand football.
• High pressure and instability erode the process of identity building.

Moroccan and Cape Verde model suggestions

To break free from this cycle of mistakes, Dong Lu suggested adopting the model of Morocco and Cape Verde, where the national team largely consists of players who play abroad. According to him, this approach helps teams be less affected by local media, maintain a professional environment, and more easily build a clear identity.

Based on that argument, Dong Lu believes China could make a breakthrough by assembling a squad of 23 players currently playing abroad.

The next match and context

On November 15th, the China U22 team will face the South Korea U22 team in the second match of the 2025 Panda Cup. The Vietnam U22 team will play against the Uzbekistan U22 team. Prior to that, in March, Khuất Văn Khang and his teammates drew 0-0 with the Uzbekistan U22 team in the CFA Team China friendly tournament organized by China.

Immediate impact

The opening defeat puts pressure on the Chinese U22 team, both in terms of performance and morale, ahead of their clash with the South Korean U22 team. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese U22 team has a positive psychological basis as they prepare to face the Uzbekistan U22 team, with whom they recently drew 0-0 in a friendly tournament in China.

Strategic perspective

Dong Lu's message sets a specific goal: narrowing the gap with Southeast Asian teams by stabilizing the structure, improving decision-making quality, and reducing public scrutiny. His proposal to look beyond its borders—building a team from players competing abroad—is an option he believes could help China escape its current unstable trajectory.