On the night of January 1, the mainland men's football team and the Hong Kong team launched a high-profile international football friendly match. It was also the debut of our national football team as it approached the challenges of 2024. However, the performance and the result of this game did leave a wave of disappointment.
In this competition, the mainland men's football team once showed a certain level of competition, but unfortunately lost to the Hong Kong team by a slight disadvantage of 1:2. It is worth noting that this is also the third warm-up match for the continental men's football team to prepare for the Asian Cup stage, with a record of 1 win and 1 loss in the first two games. In previous matches, the team first defeated the United Arab Emirates' third-tier regional sports team 5-1, showing their attacking prowess, but in the other match, the continental men's football team was beaten 0-2 by the Oman men's football team, who are ranked ninth in Asia, reflecting the team's shortcomings in defense and teamwork.
After three days of fine adjustments, the Chinese national football team finally ushered in the international A-level friendly match with the Hong Kong team tonight. In order to ensure the secrecy of the competition, both sides actively requested that such events not be publicly reported. In the latest FIFA rankings, the mainland men's national football team is ranked 79th, while the Hong Kong team has slipped to 150th, and there is indeed a significant difference between the strength and ranking of the two teams.
In the first half of the game, the continental men's football team led by Tan Long scored a crucial goal with his lightning quick breakthrough and established a temporary advantage of 1:0. However, it is regrettable that captain Wu Xi was injured unexpectedly during the game and had to withdraw from the game early, which is undoubtedly a heavy loss for the mainland men's football team. After turning to the second half, the Hong Kong team hit two consecutive goals in the 54th and 59th minutes, and Poon Pui Hin scored two goals alone, making the whole score reversed - now it has become 2:1.
Subsequently, the situation on the scene changed, and as many as three players of the mainland men's football team were sent off after receiving red cards. According to senior football reporter Ma Dexing, in the 56th minute, Wang Shangyuan was awarded a red card by the referee for foul behavior. Only a moment later, an assistant coach of the national football team also received a red card warning because he could not accept the ruling on the spot. In the 72nd minute, Wu Shaocong also received a red card for a serious foul, and at this moment the mainland men's football team has fallen into the dilemma of 9 against 11 people. Despite such important pressure, the continental men's football players remained determined and gave their all, and despite the regrettable loss of the battle by a score of 1-2, they took the lead in the first half of this high-profile friendly match. However, in the second half, they were met with fierce counterattacks from their opponents. Due to the continuous red card decisions, the continental men's football team faced an extremely serious challenge in the final stage of the game, and thus failed to hold on to the fruits of victory.
This painful defeat is the first time since 1984 that the national football team has faced a challenge in Hong Kong, China, and bowed its once high head. Back in May 1985, 37 years ago, the national football team unexpectedly lost 1-2 in the crucial battle of the main venue of the extremely important World Cup qualifiers, creating a historical regret. However, since then, the national football team has been like a phoenix, after hard work and forging ahead, successfully achieved an amazing result of 10 wins and 6 draws in the next 16 competitive competitions, a total of 16 games. However, what makes people sigh is that the myth of this undefeated golden body has not been continued and shattered after all.
According to the detailed description of the "Sports Weekly", before the game, the head coach of the national football team, Jankovic, faced a group of tired but energetic players on the rigorous and orderly training ground, solemnly announced: "I am well aware of the great hardships and efforts you have made in the process of preparing for the game, physically and mentally exhausted but still sticking to your job, and everyone without exception is looking forward to having more adequate rest time." Therefore, if the result of the match against Hong Kong is happy, each team member will be entitled to a day off and will not be scheduled for any training activities. Conversely, if the battle does not go as expected, then on January 2, we will continue to conduct training sessions at the usual pace. ”
However, fate seems to have played tricks on the national football team, further plunging it into despair. Before the game ended, the three generals were expelled from the game with red cards for serious violations, which made the victory that the national football team had been preparing for for a long time come to naught in an instant, which is undoubtedly a double blow for the national football team. Not only does this mean that they have lost a precious opportunity to touch the glory of victory in one fell swoop, but it also means that the once slim desire to rest the internationals who desperately need to rest has also disappeared.
As far as the national football team is concerned, the defeat in this competition undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to them. However, they must deeply understand that defeat is an important part of the journey to victory. There are no flowers that never fade, only temporary setbacks. They need to learn from this defeat and find out what is at stake in order to prevent them from falling into the same hole again in future tense races. According to the competition schedule of the Asian Cup, the Chinese men's football team will face the world powerhouse Tajikistan men's football team at 10:30 pm Beijing time on January 13. For the national football team, this game is a critical juncture of life and death, and they need to play at the highest level in this battle and go all out to win. Only in this way can we occupy a favorable position in the spotlight of the Asian Cup and lay a solid foundation for subsequent competitions.
For countless fans and friends who are looking forward to it, this game also carries anticipation and enthusiasm. They expect the national football team to show perfect tacit cooperation and strong attack in this fateful battle, so as to prove their extraordinary strength and infinite potential. At the same time, they also hope that the national football team can move forward in the face of adversity, fight bravely to kill the enemy, and bring endless cheers and incomparable pride to fans and friends.
In the face of the powerful Tajikistan men's football team's tenacious defensive strategy and rapid counterattack ability, the role of the national football team in this battle is particularly arduous and difficult. The Tajik men's team has been widely regarded for their perseverance and effective tactical execution in past tournaments, and they will not give up an inch of ground easily. Therefore, the national football players must maintain a high degree of alertness and concentration during the game, and boldly innovate and adopt effective tactical strategies to deal with the counterattack from the opponent.