The national football locker room exploded, and Song Kai sent a text message to congratulate him for the first time: Chinese football is united
On the evening of the 16th, Beijing time, the Chinese team defeated the Thai team 2-1 away in Bangkok, thus making a good start to the impact of the 2026 World Preliminaries. The significance of this victory is not only a good start for the national football team in the round of 36 competition, but also a shot in the arm for the team that has been in the trough in recent years and even the entire Chinese football.
In view of the strength of the South Korean team in the same group, after the Chinese team won the Thai team away, to some extent, it has thrown off the heaviest burden of competition at this stage. Song Kai, chairman of the Chinese Football Association, sent a congratulatory text message to the national football coach Jankovic through modern communication means as soon as possible after the game. Song Kai told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily: "Congratulations to the Chinese team, Chinese football is united. ”
Shortly after the end of the 90-minute regular time of the Sino-Thai game, Wu Lei, who broke into the Thai team's penalty area, staggered and almost fell to the ground, while Tan Long, the forward partner not far away, pinched his waist, with a painful expression and shortness of breath to prove that his physical consumption had reached a certain limit. In this rain battle, the Chinese team finally won a reversal victory with reasonable technical and tactical arrangements and tenacious will.
After the end of the Sino-Thai game, both the fans surfing the Internet and the fans of the Chinese team at the scene felt rejoicing. After all, in the past two years, the Chinese team has lost to Vietnam for the first time in the last World Preliminary Round of 12, and has been lackluster in the eight international warm-up matches that have been held this year.
But as head coach Jankovic said, this team is fully prepared for this World Preliminary Championship, and every member of the team is a pacesetter with strong will, although they may be different from the members of the main rivals in Asian football in terms of ability, but in Bangkok, this unprecedentedly low-key national football team formed a huge synergy, and finally had the last laugh.
Shortly after the half-time of the match between China and Thailand, the news of the South Korean team, the seeded team, beating Singapore by five goals was widely spread. In reality, there is little doubt that South Korea will qualify for the next stage of the World Preliminary Tournament as group winners. The other qualifying place in Group C will most likely be between China and Thailand. From this point of view, the Chinese team can win away against the Thai team, and it has actually taken the lead in the competition between the two teams, so as to grasp the initiative to qualify early.
If it is said that scoring points away from home is the basic goal of the Chinese team's trip to Bangkok, then taking all three points gives the whole team and all the fans who support the Chinese team a huge surprise. Such a high-value victory ushered in a good opportunity for the Chinese team, which has been criticized by public opinion for a long time, to improve its image, and won the conditions for the team to gain widespread support in the next tournament of this World Preliminary Championship. In other words, with this victory, the Chinese team has lost the heaviest burden in the round of 36 competition.
The majority of fans, including most of the reporters of the national football team, stayed in front of the TV broadcast screen on the evening of the 16th, witnessing the Chinese team's 13th World Cup impact tour to a good start. Song Kai, the new chairman of the Chinese Football Association, watched the live broadcast of the game in Beijing. After the game, he immediately sent congratulatory and congratulatory text messages to coach Jankovic and the head of the team's management team. Song Kai told a reporter from Beiqing Daily: "The victory of the Chinese team is the result of the unity of Chinese football. As long as there is unity, there is hope for Chinese football. Before the game, Song Kai visited the team in Shenzhen, and had a heart-to-heart talk with many veteran players, including captain Wu Xi, to encourage them to play a role in passing on the help.
After the game, the national football team was also jubilant in the locker room. A staff member of the team said excitedly: "This victory is really too timely, and it is too uplifting, in the past time, everyone is too aggrieved, we can actually win." Although the team will sit at home to face the top team in the same group South Korea in the next round, at this moment, the encouraged Chinese team is full of morale, in the words of one team insider, "Playing South Korea, we have no reason not to fight for points and win." According to the plan, Song Kai will watch the China-South Korea match at home in Shenzhen on the 21st of this month.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun