On the evening of the 21st, Meizhou Hakka team welcomed the challenge of Shanghai Shenhua team at the Huitang Stadium of the Wuhua Olympic Sports Center. In the end, Meizhou Hakka lost 0-1 to their opponents, and Shenhua's Xu Haoyang scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute of the first half.
However, despite the loss of the game, the admission of 15,866 spectators allowed Huitang Stadium to witness a grand "football carnival".
Core players are injured and difficult to change
This match is the first home match of Meizhou Hakka, the "second-year student" of the Chinese Super League. Because, for the first time, they met the fans in the arena.
The whole Meizhou Hakka team has been holding their breath early on and wants to win the opponent in this game. But they also know that the Shenhua team is a difficult opponent to deal with.
If you look at the scene, the Meizhou Hakka team basically occupies the initiative most of the time in the game. Since the opponent's foreign support back Amadou did not come to Meizhou with the team this time, Meizhou center Lobzanidze got more opportunities to directly confront the opposing central defender. However, Lobzanidze does not appear to have an absolute advantage against international player Zhu Chenjie, and his physical condition obviously needs to be further improved.
After the Shenhua team carried the fierce attack of the Meizhou team, Xu Haoyang seized the few opportunities to complete the goal. This is actually very similar to their first-round victory over Shandong Taishan.
Broadcast footage frequently showed Meizhou midfielder Kosovic on the bench, and although he was on the bench, he was clearly not yet ready to play. In addition, another striker Giessen sat in the spectator stands.
The injuries of these important players make it difficult to find suitable candidates when Meizhou away team need to make changes in attack, and coach Milan only has so many cards to play for the time being. For the away team, they are currently looking forward to Kosovic's return, which will be of great help to the team's attack and defense.
Milan was neither sorry nor convinced by the loss of this game. 'The players have done their best and we don't deserve to lose the game in terms of our performances.'
The atmosphere of the game made the trip worthwhile for fans
Meizhou started preparations for this game early. On the day of the match, enthusiastic Meizhou fans also flocked to the stadium to cheer for the team, and the live broadcast showed that the number of fans in attendance reached 15,866.
Although the match was played on weekday afternoons, many fans and tourists still came to the scene to cheer for the Meizhou away team. Two hours before the game, there was already a sea of people outside Huitang Stadium, fans and tourists wearing red jerseys walked together, holding up team flags, banners, small horns one after another, stopping to take photos and check in, and the fanatical atmosphere of football has long been pervasive.
"The Hakka must support the Hakka people!" Qiu Ling from Longyan, Fujian Province, and five companions drove to Wuhua County to watch the event. "Coming to Wuhua really feels the strong local football atmosphere, the local people are also very enthusiastic, and the development of 'sports + tourism' is promising."
The live viewing experience is sometimes not affected by victories or losses. "The other party is a strong team, our away team regretted losing to Shanghai Shenhua, some regrets, but the enthusiasm of the fans and audience made me very excited, cheering and shouting one after another, it is worth the trip, and we will come to Wuhua to watch the next game." After the game, Xu Qiufang, a fan from Yangjiang, told reporters.
For Meizhou Hakka FC, this home debut is just the beginning, and the Chinese Super League season still has a long way to go.
【Southern + Reporter】Zhu Xiaolong, Wang Siting, Chen Ping
【Photography】He Senyao
【Author】 Zhu Xiaolong; CHEN Ping; Wang Siting; He Senyao
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client