When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, the entire Andong Provincial Sports Center turned into a sea of joy.
Chinese fans cheered heartily in the stands.
Many of them even cried. When the broadcast camera panned the stands, you could see many people wiping away tears.
Most of them let tears roll in their eyes and hang on their cheeks. They ignored it and just cheered and cheered.
Xie Lan hugged her husband and cried loudly.
Her husband Hu Lixin hugged his wife tightly and patted her back gently with his hands. At the same time, he looked at the stadium with red eyes.
There are many, many such people around them.
Everyone was crying or laughing, and their emotions were completely out of control.
Those who have never watched football will find it strange when they see this scene. It’s just a victory over the Korean team, and it’s not qualifying for the World Cup... As for that?
They don’t know what winning this game means to Chinese football, let alone what it means to Chinese fans.
Many Chinese fans actually don’t think about qualifying for the World Cup at all now. They are simply happy that the Chinese team defeated the South Korean team at home.
Even if they fail to qualify for the World Cup in the end, with such a victory, the top 12 Asian qualifying rounds for the 2026 US-Canada World Cup will be considered in vain.
This is just like a derby, some games must be won no matter what, and some opponents cannot be lost no matter what.
The level of Chinese football is still very weak, especially compared with traditional Asian teams such as South Korea and Japan. The South Korean team has participated in ten consecutive World Cup finals, but the Chinese team has never participated once.
In terms of World Cup record, the Korean team is definitely qualified and capable to despise the Chinese team.
But it is precisely this that makes the victory of the Chinese team against the South Korean team so precious.
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After the game, the players of the South Korean team seemed very frustrated. Although they had already qualified for the World Cup in advance, the outcome of this game actually did not affect anything.
As for the Korean national team, which has maintained a complete victory over the Chinese team, this defeat is still a huge blow to them.
What they lost was not just a game, but... a piece of history.
Previously in the East Asian Cup, the South Korean Olympic team was defeated by the Chinese Olympic team 0:3 at home. It was nominally a clash between national teams, but neither the players of the two teams, nor the media, nor the fans.
Count that game as a record at the national team level and only as a result of the Olympic team.
So today's game is the first time that the Korean national team has lost to the Chinese national team in the true sense.
After the East Asian Cup last year, those who tried to revive the "Korean phobia" have nothing to say today. The "Korean phobia" lingered on for less than two years, and finally came to an end!
The players of the Chinese team were all celebrating the victory. Hu Lai, who was the biggest contributor to the Chinese team's victory in this game, was stopped by media reporters and pulled for a post-match interview.
"Congratulations, Hu Lai!" Wang Shanshan congratulated with a smile as soon as she saw Hu Lai. "I scored twice against South Korea, helping the Chinese team win the game, and also retained the right to qualify for the World Cup.
Qualifications... How do you feel now?"
"Of course I am happy!" Hu Lai said with a smile, "I am very happy! It can be included in the new four joys of life! Ha!"
Wang Shanshan was amused by Hu Lai: "Hu Lai, we noticed that your second goal was a long shot. As we all know, you have never scored a long shot before... So, is this your new skill?
A goal-scoring weapon?”
Hu Lai quickly shook his head: "No, no, it's my fault. After they forced me out of the penalty area, I really had no other options, so I thought I might as well just kick him. Anyway, even if I didn't score, there would be no loss..."
I didn’t expect that I was so lucky and got in right away. To be honest, I was quite surprised, haha!”
Park Soon-tae, who was summoned by a Korean TV reporter and was waiting for a post-match interview, looked at Hu Lai, who was chatting and laughing with a beautiful reporter in the interview area.
This was the first time he competed with Hu Lai on the court, and it was completely different from what he had imagined before.
While I was lost in thought, I saw Hu Lai coming down after finishing the interview, bidding farewell to the Chinese TV reporter.
Park Soon-tae didn’t know what he was thinking. He took a step to the side and was right in front of Hu Lai.
The two people stood face to face like this, looking at each other.
The reporters present also noticed this scene, and the cameras and camera lenses moved over one after another.
Hu Lai spoke first. He smiled and glanced at Park Soon Tai's right leg: "Brother, your injury seems to have not healed. It feels like you can't exert your strength in the final stage of the game."
The game has been played, and the two teams will not meet again for a long time. Park Soon-tae's defensive mentality is no longer so strong. He nodded and admitted frankly: "I have not recovered in the first place. I am injured."
Came back."
"Ah, that's such a pity..." Hu Lai frowned and shook his head, "I hope I can meet you in your strongest form next time."
Park Suntae replied: "That should be in the Premier League."
“Then let’s see you in the Premier League, brother.”
“Okay, see you in the Premier League.”
After saying this, Park Soon-tae took a step aside to make way for Hu Lai. Then he watched Hu Lai leave, and then followed the Korean TV reporter to the interview area.
"...I am not willing to lose the game...but this is football. We adopted some rotations in this game, and the main purpose is to train young people...Compared with this purpose, winning or losing is not the most important. I believe
Through this game, young players will definitely learn a lot of useful things and grow up quickly..."
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When Hu Lai returned to his teammates, everyone had already lined up and planned to go around the field to thank the Chinese fans who came to cheer them on.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence or a deliberate choice. The starting point of their circuit was in the corresponding stand. There was a huge five-star red flag that was exactly the same one that appeared in the stand before the game.
As the Chinese team circled the stadium, the five-star red flag also completed the ceremony of circling the city.
It can be said that no matter where the Chinese team players go, they can see the red flag moving slowly in the stands following their footsteps.
Excited fans raised their hands and passed the flag over their heads.
With the joint action of countless hands, the red flag looks like it is floating on the stands, swaying gently in the night wind.
In the middle of the circuit, an old song was played on the live radio.
Hearing the prelude of this song, cheers rang out from the stands, followed by a chorus from all the fans:
“Whenever I feel pain, I want you to hold me tight. Like you always do, touch my soul…”
“Whenever I’m confused, you give me a sense of warmth. It’s like someone’s arm hugging my shoulders tightly...”
“…Sometimes I feel lonely and helpless, just like the stones rolling down the hillside, but as long as I think of your name, I will always regain my confidence!”
“Sometimes I lose my direction, like a stray swallow in the sky, but as long as I think of your existence, I will no longer feel afraid...” (Note 1)
These fans who have been roaring and singing for more than 100 minutes since before the game started, all have hoarse voices now. Even if they just speak at the same volume as usual, they need to use all their strength.
So the singing voice was not high at the beginning.
But after the initial low, when the song entered the chorus, the originally hoarse chorus suddenly burst out with huge energy.
The voice is still hoarse, but high-pitched!
“I love you China!! Beloved mother!”
“I cry for you and I am proud of you!!”
Yan Yan and Chu Yifan stood side by side, hugging each other's shoulders and shouting out the lyrics with all their strength.
“I love you! China!!!”
“Beloved mother!”
“I shed tears for you!”
“Proud of you too!!”
No one left early, everyone was still in their seats, expressing their emotions through singing.
He Feng and Yan Kang, who had finished their on-site commentary work, stood side by side in front of the commentary table. One sang along and the other took a video with his mobile phone.
They don’t know where the Chinese team will go in this World Cup. But it doesn’t matter what the future holds. Today’s scene is enough for them to have no regrets.
Chinese football... can also bring happiness to our fans!
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The huge singing sound impacted every Chinese team player who was walking around the field to thank them. They looked at the stands absently, and then some people started singing along.
“I cry for you...and I’m proud of you...”
The television broadcast camera nearby faithfully recorded this scene.
They all looked up at the huge national flag in the stands, and their lips moved to harmonize with the singing.
The jerseys of these players who had just experienced a battle were stained. After some of them took off their socks and shin guards, they could still see red scars on their calves.
They were disheveled, their hair was messy, and they looked very embarrassed.
But everyone's face was flushed and there was a twinkle in their eyes.
During the song, they saluted the national flag and waved to thank the fans who had fought with them for 90 minutes.
This day we defeated the Korean team.
On this day, that period of humiliating history officially ended in Jincheng!