Chapter 2094 The World Cup begins with the knockout rounds
"...Being able to win is more important than anything else, so I'm happy that we got a good start..."
The video replay of yesterday's post-match press conference was being played on the TV screen.
Qin Lin, the head coach of the Chinese team, is talking:
"...But what is more important than winning three points is what we showed in this game. The players completed our pre-game deployment very well. Although this was the first game, everyone's performance was outstanding. Online...
"And we encountered difficulties in the game, solved the difficulties, and finally won the game. I think the process is more meaningful than the result. Next, we will sum up the experience and lessons, play the remaining two group matches well, and strive to get better from this The group qualified..."
"Wrong."
Xie Lan, who was having breakfast, suddenly said this.
Hu Lixin, who was standing next to him, turned to look at his frowning wife and asked her curiously: "What's wrong? Is it wrong to qualify from the group?"
"What are you talking about?" Xie Lan rolled her eyes at her husband, and then said in a slightly puzzled tone, "I feel...it seems a little different from what I imagined."
"Is it different from what you imagined? What did you imagine it would be like?" Hu Lixin asked.
"It's just... I feel like everyone should be more excited than they are now... I won't talk about others, just myself. I won the game yesterday, and I could go to bed at a normal time at night, and then sleep until dawn... It feels like it's normal Same.”
As Xie Lan talked, she finally found a suitable example to convey what she wanted to express, so she slapped her thigh:
"Let's just talk about the World Cup in 2026. After the first game, it was clear that we only drew, and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep... I stayed up late to watch the game. But now that we have won, I can sleep Got it... Hey! Do you think it’s weird?”
Hu Lixin turned his attention to Li Ziqiang next to him.
The two men didn't speak. Li Qingqing smiled first and said: "Because it was our first time to participate in the World Cup, Mom. The first World Cup, the first game, the first goal, the first point... everything. It's the 'first time'. You must be so excited that you can't sleep. Now this is your third time participating in the World Cup. Mom, you can't be so excited that you can't sleep just because you won a game. .”
Hu Lixin supported his daughter-in-law: "That's what I mean. Everyone agrees that the Chinese team will start in the top 16 this time. How can it be too excited for the victory in the first game? I feel like you said, in the end At least we have to wait until we reach the knockout rounds.”
"In other words, this World Cup actually starts with the knockout rounds?" Xie Lan asked everyone.
Then he got three nods.
She finally breathed out: "I thought something was wrong with me..."
Hu Lixin ridiculed her: "I told you a long time ago, you just think too much..."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Lan glared back.
Seeing that his father-in-law was silent, Li Qingqing came out to smooth things over: "It's not just you, mom. In fact, after winning the opening game, many people also thought it was normal. It seemed like it was just an ordinary victory. Now everyone online There’s not much discussion about the opening game... Oh, Peng Weijun’s game is still very popular, but everyone is already thinking about who we will play in the quarterfinals.”
"Who to beat? The first team in the group will beat Poland!" Xie Lan expressed her thoughts.
Li Qingqing smiled and shook his head: "Everyone on the Internet hopes to beat South Korea."
This is indeed what most people online want.
On the one hand, this is because there is a football feud between China and South Korea, and on the other hand, it is also because South Korea is the easier opponent in Group B - the football teams of China and South Korea often play against each other in Asian competitions and are very familiar with each other. And in recent years, it is indeed the Chinese team that has the upper hand. If they can play against the South Korean team in the World Cup, everyone thinks it is equivalent to sending the Chinese team into the quarterfinals.
Therefore, the Korean team is the best opponent that the Chinese team can encounter in Group B.
After all, we can’t expect Burkina Faso, which is ranked 66th in FIFA, to qualify from the group, right?
However, Xie Lan didn't think so. She sneered at the idea of the majority of netizens: "Let the Bangzi group qualify? What are you thinking? Of course, let them go home after playing in the group stage! Anyway, their home is next door, so it's not Far. If they are allowed to qualify from the group stage, they will not be allowed to play for four years.”
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"Chinese fans want to kick us in the quarter-finals? Ha, we want to kick them too!"
Yesterday was the opening day of the World Cup, and we only played one game.
This game naturally attracted the attention of all participating countries.
Especially those teams that may or will definitely encounter the Chinese team in the game.
As soon as the game ended yesterday, the Internet was filled with discussions and expectations of fans from all over the world about the game.
Fans all over the world believe that the Chinese team has demonstrated its strong strength in the opening game, and qualifying for the group is not a problem. They also hope to challenge the quarterfinal record of the last World Cup and refresh the team's best result in the World Cup.
Before this opening game, everyone's understanding of the Chinese team's strength was still more on paper.
After this game, those strengths on paper came to fruition, allowing everyone to see what kind of team this is.
They not only have top stars like Hu Lai, but also powerful young people like Peng Weijun.
Such a host is an opponent that many teams are unwilling to encounter.
But the words just now came from the mouths of players from the rival Korean team who might really meet the Chinese team.
While having breakfast, the Korean players also gathered together to talk about the Chinese team's opponent and yesterday's opening game.
They learned from the domestic Internet in South Korea that Chinese fans hoped to meet the Korean team in the quarter-finals, and started a discussion on this issue.
It was under such circumstances that Kim Dong-yeol said what he just said.
As a talented player currently being highly praised by the Korean media and fans, Kim Dongyeol's words immediately received support and praise from some people in the team.
"Well said, Donglie! Just have such faith and momentum Smecta!"
"As expected of Westphalia's main striker, it's not surprising at all to say these words from Donglie's mouth, Smecta!"
"Dongyeol is right. For us, the Chinese team is also a good opponent. After all, we are familiar with their Smecta team!"
“But actually we don’t necessarily have to play against the Chinese team – we can still win the first place in the group, Smecta!”
"What if the Chinese team takes second place in the group?"
"Hahahaha!"
Just when the topic was getting more and more outrageous, captain Jin Shengyou who was in the restaurant suddenly shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about! You haven't even played a game yet, and you are thinking about who to beat in the knockout round?"
The international players, who were slapped and scolded by their captain, lowered their heads and did not dare to say a word.
Jin Donglie didn't say any more "lofty words", but he still turned his back to the captain and made a face at his teammates who had just agreed with him.
The teammates buried their heads lower, fearing that the captain would see the expressions on their faces if they didn't hold their nerve.
After Jin Shengyou finished yelling, he did not sit down immediately. Instead, he stood on his seat and looked around the entire restaurant.
He didn't sit down again until everyone in the restaurant fell silent and no one made a sound.
Then he lowered his voice and complained to Park Guixian who was sitting at the same table: "Children these days are becoming more and more rude! They all seem to be extremely powerful. In fact, they have never even played in a World Cup... They look like this It’s so worrying to be so brainless!”
Park Guixian looked at Jin Dongyeol, who had his back turned to him, and shook his head: "You expect a super genius who scored his first Bundesliga goal at the age of nineteen and has already scored thirty Bundesliga goals at the age of twenty-two to be low-key, you are the one." You have no brains, Shengyou.”
Jin Shengyou was helpless: "Don't say that, Guixian. Jin Dongyeol doesn't know what the World Cup means yet. You have to remind him more..."
"He won't listen to me, Seungwoo." Park Guixian shook his head and said, "There are some truths that you have to experience yourself to understand. It's useless no matter what others say. Especially me."
Jin Shengyou was silent.
Also a striker, Park Kyuhyun is Kim Dong-yeol's competitor.
It does not seem like a good idea to ask a competitor to persuade the other party to keep a low profile. Kim Dong-yeol will only think that Park Gyu-hyun is not trying to keep him low-key, but is taking the opportunity to suppress him.
Seeing that his teammate from the national youth team to the national team was depressed, Park Guixian comforted him: "It's okay, Seungyo. This is also a good training opportunity for him."
"Using the World Cup to train?" Jin Shengyou was speechless.
"No. I use the World Cup group matches to train." Park Guixian shook his head first, then looked at Kim Seung-woo, "He will really grow up after entering the knockout rounds."
"You too..." Jin Shengyou didn't expect that Park Guixian was also the person who thought about the knockout rounds before even playing a game.
Park Guixian asked: "The Chinese team will definitely advance to the top 16, and the Japanese team is also determined to win. Are we, the Republic of Korea, going to lag behind them?"
Jin Shengyou was speechless when asked.
Park Guixian continued: "We will also get off to a good start in today's game against Poland!" (End of Chapter)