Chapter 746 I love you China
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. The broadcast camera swept across the stands and you could see many people wiping away tears.
Most of them let tears roll in their eyes and hang on their cheeks. They ignored them 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 out at the court, his eyes red.
There are many, many such people around them.
Everyone was crying or laughing, and their emotions were completely out of control.
People who have never watched football will find this scene strange when they see it - 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 victory in 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 qualifiers for the 2026 US-Canada World Cup will not be in vain.
It's 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 when 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 Korean team players looked very frustrated. Although they have already qualified for the World Cup in advance, the outcome of this game does not actually affect anything.
But for the South Korean national team, which maintained a complete victory over the Chinese team, this defeat still hit them hard.
What they lost was not just a game, but... a piece of history.
Previously in the East Asian Cup, the Korean Olympic team lost 0:3 at home to the Chinese Olympic team. Nominally, it was also a clash between national teams, but neither the players of the two teams, nor the media, nor the fans regarded that game as a result of the national team, only as the 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 the year before last, 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 celebrating the victory. Hu Lai, as 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 the South Korean team, helping the Chinese team win the game, and also retained the qualification to compete for the World Cup... 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, before this, you seemed to have never scored a long shot... So, is this your new mastery? 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. I was honestly surprised, haha!
Park Soon-tae, who was called by a Korean TV reporter and was waiting to be interviewed after the game, looked at Hu Lai who was chatting and laughing with the beautiful reporter in the interview area.
This was his first time competing against 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.
Pu Chuntai 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, looking at each other.
The reporters present also noticed this scene, and their cameras and camera lenses moved over one after another.
Hu Lai spoke first. He smiled and glanced at Park Soon-tae'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, so Park Soon-tae's defensive mentality is no longer so strong. He nodded and admitted frankly: "I never recovered. I came back injured."
"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, Pu Chuntai 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, they 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. There was a huge five-star red flag in the stands corresponding to the starting point of their circle - the same one that appeared in the stands before the game.
As the Chinese team circled the field, 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 in the stands, swaying gently in the night wind.
Halfway through the circuit, an old song came 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 am confused, you give me a kind 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 fear..." (Note 1)
These fans, who had been roaring and singing for more than a hundred minutes - starting before the game started - now all have hoarse voices, and it takes all their strength to even speak at the same volume as usual.
So the singing 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 "roaring" 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 can 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 walked 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 nearby television camera faithfully recorded this scene.
They all looked up at the huge national flag in the stands, and their lips moved in harmony 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.
Their clothes 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 fought with them for 90 minutes.
On this day we defeated the Korean team.
On this day, that period of humiliating history officially ended in Jincheng!
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Note 1: Wang Feng's "I Love You China" (End of Chapter)