CHINA’S national soccer team welcomed back its star forward Wu Lei in Sharjah, the UAE, on Monday, for its upcoming World Cup Asian qualifier against Oman on Thursday.

The Espanyol forward Wu participated in the training only hours after he arrived at the hotel from Spain in the early morning Monday.

“I want to score goals and help the team beat Oman,” Wu said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s two home fixtures against Oman and Australia have been moved to Sharjah, where the Chinese team clinched four consecutive wins in the qualifying campaign and Wu contributed five goals.

“The home advantage is very important and the support from our fans could be very helpful for us. Obviously it’s very disappointing that we can’t play at home, but the only thing in our mind is to play the games well. Sharjah is a lucky place for me [as I scored many goals here],” Wu noted.

China, drawn into Group B of the final qualifying round with Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Vietnam, now ranks fifth in the group with only three points after four games. Wu’s team has to beat Oman to keep its faint World Cup dream alive.

“Our team is under great pressure recently. I think we all can deal with the stress well as professional players. We need to focus on ourselves and do the right things. It’s not the time to talk about the group table. No matter which opponent we face, we must fight for a win,” he added. (Xinhua)