China's focus shifts to World Cup qualifying as league breaks

As China's football focus was shifting towards yet another attempt to end the country's World Cup hoodoo, Slaven Bilic breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday as his Beijing Guoan side squeezed into the Chinese Super League's championship round.

Zhang Yuning's goals not only saved Beijing's season -- braces in wins over Changchun Yatai and Shanghai Shenhua ensured the club secured a place in December's title-deciding group phase -- but also proved the striker is finding form at the right time.

The former West Bromwich Albion forward, 24, had struggled to find the net for misfiring Beijing until five goals in three games laid down a marker for national team boss Li Tie before China's upcoming World Cup qualifier against Australia.

"Yuning has missed a lot of chances in this bubble, but you can ask him what I'm telling him after every game: that he's one of our best players," Bilic said.

"Up until the last game against (Tianjin) he was doing everything right. He was creating chances. He was winning penalties. He was assisting for goals.

"Everything was there, so his performance in this bubble is top. Work rate also. And if anyone deserves to score goals and to be rewarded for his quality and effort it was him," he said.

With the league paused until the championship round begins on Dec. 1, attention turns to China's attempt to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 2002.

Li's side meet the Socceroos on Sept. 2, with the country's players having been given greater exposure in the Chinese Super League than in previous years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Facing stringent quarantining measures, many clubs have been left without the services of highly paid foreign stars who have been unable - or unwilling - to return since last season ended.

After years of heavy spending that prompted skirmishes between club owners and authorities determined to ensure the league remained tenable, the largesse of the last decade has ended and the spotlight shifted onto clubs' domestic players.

Zhang is among those to have benefited from a regular place in the starting line-up, and Li will be hoping the forward's late run of form carries over into the international window.

Bilic, whose coaching career has seen him lead his native Croatia as well as West Bromwich and West Ham United in England, sees Zhang's goals as a reward for his quality and effort.

"He is a great example," Bilic said. "If you believe, if you continue to do the right thing, the success will come."