On the evening of February 1, the Chinese team will face Vietnam in the eighth round of the World Preliminary Round of 12 in Qatar in Hanoi, Vietnam. Since the Chinese team had fallen behind the Australian team, which was temporarily ranked third in the same group, by 9 points, as long as the Australian team scored another point in the same round, it would declare the Chinese team to fail in the Qatar World Cup. Such a result is undoubtedly cruel to the Chinese team that played on the first day of the Year of the Tiger in the Lunar Calendar, as well as the vast number of national football fans who should be immersed in the joy of the Spring Festival.
When the fate of qualifying is no longer in their own hands, the Chinese team can only win the opponent on this night to avoid adding to the blockage of the Chinese people. It is understood that from the time the team arrives in Hanoi to before the China-Vietnamese matches, the Chinese Football Association and the team will no longer organize special mobilization meetings. After eating a meal of dumplings Chinese New Year's Eve night, all the staff will arrange their own time in the hotel, and most of them will also "reunite online" with their relatives in China through modern communication means, and family affection is the strongest support for international footballers to fight the first battle of the Lunar New Year.
After losing 2 goals to Japan in the 7th round of the round of 12, the Chinese team is one step closer to "out" from the round of 12. Since Australia, which is currently ranked third in the same group, defeated Vietnam by 4 goals in the same round, the Chinese team, which was as much as 9 points behind them, even the theoretical hope of qualifying was almost gone. This is extremely painful for them who are about to play against the Vietnamese team on the first day of the first lunar month. Because as long as the Chinese team cannot win away from the opponent, or the Australian team draws with Oman in the same round, then the Chinese team's exit will become a reality.
Before the first training of the whole team in Hanoi began on the afternoon of the 29th local time, as the elder of the national football team for many years, assistant coach Zheng Zhi faced questions from media reporters about the topic of "qualifying". He and all the other members of the team are well aware that fate is no longer in their own hands, and what the Chinese team can win is to maintain the record of consecutive wins against Vietnam as much as possible, and not to add another stroke to the column of shame.
Judging from the situation reflected within the team, although the coaching staff has consciously used young players or newcomers, the whole team must win no matter what about the game that will start on the first day of the Lunar New Year. In this context, the quality of training in recent days and the rationality of the platooning are very important.
The Beijing Youth Daily reporter learned that unlike the team that just arrived in Japan nearly a week ago, the whole team organized a formal pre-game mobilization meeting. After the Chinese team arrived in Hanoi, in addition to daily training and technical and tactical analysis, there was no special mobilization for the Sino-Vietnamese competition. In the words of the team insiders, "To this part, does the team still use mobilization?" Everyone knows the significance of this game and the importance of having to go all out to win the game. ”
The eve of the second round of the 12th round of China and Vietnam (January 31) coincided with the Chinese New Year's Eve of the lunar calendar. According to the plan, the Chinese team will conduct pre-match venue adaptation training at the Hanoi Mei Dinh Stadium at 6:15 p.m. local time on the same day. Therefore, the "Chinese New Year's Eve meal" cannot start until after 8 o'clock local time. It was also because of the match the next day that the Chinese team did not arrange a party on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve. Normally, the main leaders of the association will briefly say New Year's greetings for the whole team during the Chinese New Year's Eve meal.
Due to the limited meal conditions of the Hanoi Grand Plaza Hotel where the national football team is stationed, the team's security team specially contacted the local Chinese restaurant to prepare Chinese New Year's Eve dumplings for the team. According to the team's insiders, after the meal, all the staff will stay in the hotel to arrange their own time. During this time, the international footballers will be reunited online with their relatives far away from home. Zheng Zhi also said, "No matter what kind of identity we are, no matter when and where we are, as long as we represent the national team, we should reward all those who support us with victory." "When the old is resigned and the new is welcomed, family affection is precisely the source of motivation for the players to boost morale.
In the joint training on the 29th, including the rehabilitated goalkeeper Wang Dalei, all 26 players attended the training. The Chinese team can fully dispatch the main force to play against the opponent.
According to the plan, the Chinese team played away to Vietnam on the evening of February 1, local time. He will take a one-day break in Hanoi before leaving Hanoi on the East Flight, which departs at 2:00 a.m. local time on February 3, and heads to Shanghai. The whole team is expected to arrive at 5:55 a.m. Beijing time on February 3. Next, the whole team will be transferred to Suzhou collectively as in the past few trips back to China, and will be subjected to no less than 14 days of closed isolation in accordance with epidemic prevention regulations.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Zhao