The Hangzhou Asian Games football event ushered in a mixed match on this exciting night, with the match between China and Qatar becoming the focus. The Chinese team made the fans boil with a 5-1 victory and also decided the lineup for the final four matchups. However, during the match, the referee was attacked twice, which also caused widespread concern and discussion.
The Asian Games football match kicked off in a high-profile battle with the national Asian Games team facing Qatar for a place in the quarterfinals. The match ended with a 1-0 victory for the national team, which was the first time in 17 years that the national team advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Games. However, during and after the match, Qatar's players showed emotional loss of control, besieging the referee on several occasions and even pounding the referee after the match because they were unhappy with the referee's stoppage-time decision.
In the other match, South Korea beat Kyrgyzstan 5-1, adding suspense to the next round of competition between China and South Korea for a place in the final four. In the group stage, Qatar was drawn in Group D, competing in the same group as Japan and Palestine. Japan performed well, winning two straight games, while Qatar advanced with a record of one win and one draw. Although Qatar lost the game against favourites Japan, they are still a formidable opponent and the national football team must not be taken lightly.
The national football team sent a full main squad in this game, showing strong strength. On the forward line, Tan Long and Fang Hao formed a high-speed attacking combination, while the midfield was led by Dai Weijun, and Tao Qianglong also continued to be trusted by the head coach. Although Zhu Chenjie did not start, he was on the bench. Liu Yang, the core of the left attack, is also in the lineup, and he is the engine of the team's left attack. In the goal position, Han Jiaqi continues to play as a goalkeeper, and his play is crucial.
Just three minutes into the game, the national football team broke the deadlock. Fang Hao sent a precise cross on the right wing, and Tao Qianglong's header was successful to help the team lead 1-0, such a start can be described as a dream. However, the national team also understands that it cannot be taken lightly, as the next round is likely to face South Korea, who are already leading Kyrgyzstan 2-1 at half-time. This suggests that the national football team may not have revealed its full strength in the group stage and wisely retained a hole hand.
In the first half of the game, Tao Qianglong scored a goal to help the national football team lead the opponent. Despite a poor performance in the final round of the group stage, in the first half of this match, the national team showed a very different form, as if the manager had been hiding the strength of the team and was able to explode at this moment. At the end of the first half, the national football team was already in the lead.
The statistics of the match showed that the national team made six shots on goal in the first half, three of which were on target, while the opponent did not have a single shot, and the national team's defensive performance was excellent. In the 58th minute, Fang Hao received a direct pass from his teammate and swung past the opposing goalkeeper, but unfortunately the final shot was slightly deflected. In the 65th minute, Fang Hao was replaced by the head coach, and Xu Haoyang came off the bench.
However, in the 68th minute, Qatar launched a counter-attack and one of their players entered the national team's penalty area. During a scramble, Wang Zhenao came into contact with the opposing player, and the opponent fell to the ground, but the referee did not award a penalty. Despite this, Qatar's No. 20 player was very unhappy with the referee's decision and rushed over to push the referee. The referee decisively showed a yellow card, however, given the player's behaviour, the red card was justified.
After the match, Qatar's players were clearly dissatisfied with the short stoppage time awarded by the referee. They surrounded the referee, angrily expressed their dissatisfaction, and some players even physically rammed the referee, which was clearly unacceptable. The scene fell into chaos for a while, but fortunately the head coach of the national football team, Jurjevic, showed great calmness and sent assistant coaches to stop the conflict. This situation raises concerns about sportsmanship and athlete behavior, hoping that such misconduct will not happen again and that the competition should be based on fairness and respect.
However, the match also attracted attention because of the attack on the referee. Referees were reportedly attacked twice during the match, an act that seriously disrupted the conduct of the game and sparked outrage among fans and the media. Referees play the role of fair arbitration in the game and their decisions should be respected and should not be the subject of attacks.
Controversy and emotions in football are common, but the way to resolve disagreements and grievances should be done through sportsmanship and rules, not violence. This incident reminds us that respect for referees and the rules of the game is key to maintaining the sportsmanship of football.
On this happy night of the Asian Games, the victory of the Chinese team made fans boil and also added more expectations for the arrival of the final four showdown. However, the attack on referees is also a reminder that fairness and respect in sports are paramount and that violence should not be motivated by emotions or controversy. It is hoped that in future competitions, all participants will be able to abide by the rules of sports and jointly safeguard the purity and fairness of sports.