Alexander Dyukov, the head of the Russian Football Union, affirmed that the national team could face the Chinese national squad. He emphasized that the word
Championship” was spoken in the context of potential future meetings.
Dyukov noted, “A friendly with China? We discussed the option. But China is not playing a match at the moment. Perhaps this year or next year we will arrange a game against them.”
The previous day the Russian side defeated Iraq with a 2–0 result.
The opening half remained goalless before Anton Miranchuk broke the deadlock in the 50th minute. Sergei Pinyaev then added to the lead, finding the net in the 58th minute to put the Russians in a comfortable position.
Earlier, the team had a draw in Tehran against the Iranian national team, with the score finishing 1–1. Both goals came from penalties; Miranchuk converted for Russia, while Mehdi Taremi scored for the opponents.
It is recalled that in the spring of 2022, FIFA and UEFA took the decision to suspend Russia from participation in all competitions under their governance, affecting the national team and all Russian clubs.
A former Spartak Moscow and Russian national team player, Alexander Mostovoy, criticized the performance of the national team members who started the match against Iran, suggesting that the early phase did not meet expectations.