Today we are going to talk about a special day 13 years ago. Imagine January 8, 2011, which was an ordinary winter day, but for Chinese football fans, it meant a lot. On that day, the Chinese men's football team faced the Kuwait team in the Asian Cup in Qatar. You know, it's not just a game, it's the beginning of a piece of history, the beginning of a story.
Let's go back to the pre-game situation. The history of the confrontation between the Chinese team and the Kuwait team is like a long novel, with 16 encounters, and the winners and losers are inseparable, like two old rivals who do not give in to each other in an endless tug-of-war. Especially in the Asian Cup, four encounters, each with a win or a defeat, is like a marathon with no end.
On the day of the match, the head coach of the Chinese team, Gao Hongbo, lined up a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Yang Xu as the attacking knife, a layout that was like a well-arranged chess game. Every pass, every run, on the pitch is like a move of a chess piece, and every player plays a key role.
After the start of the game, the two sides went back and forth, and the scene was tense. In the 34th minute, a controversial foul was awarded and Kuwait's Nada was sent off with a red card. This scene was like a turning point in a movie, and the balance began to tilt in favor of the Chinese team.
In the second half, although the Kuwait team was not outnumbered, they still fought back hard, and the scene was quite intense. But the drama on the football pitch is always hard to guess. In the 57th minute, Zhang Linpeng made a long-range shot, and the ball crossed a beautiful arc in the air, and finally hit the target, and the atmosphere on the court boiled instantly. Then in the 66th minute, Deng Zhuoxiang's free kick was like a precise missile, hitting the target, and the score became 2-0, which not only sealed the victory for the Chinese team, but also left a strong mark in the long river of history.
Thirteen years have passed, and these fighters who fought on the court have taken different paths in life. Zhang Linpeng, a fighter who has sweated on the green field, now plays for Shanghai Port, the new champion of the Chinese Super League. And Zhao Xuri, another former international player, left the Chinese league team Guangxi Pingguo Ha Yi last season, and his whereabouts have become a mystery. Rong Hao and Hao Junmin, two former teammates who are now free agents without club contracts, their football careers are like an unfinished novel, waiting for the next chapter to be written.
Some of the other players chose to retire and devote themselves to football education and training. Qu Bo became the coach of Qingdao Chasing Wind Youth Team, Yu Hai served as the assistant coach of Shanghai Port U21 echelon, Yu Tao became the coach of Shanghai Zhongchen team, and Zhao Peng exerted his influence in Zhengzhou Football Association. They may have left the pitch but are still continuing their legacy.
You see, that's the beauty of football. It's not just a 90-minute game, it's a continuous story, an indelible part of the lives of countless people. Now, I would like to ask you a question, how much impact do you think this game has on the development of Chinese football, please share your thoughts in the comment section and don't forget to follow us, because the story of football never ends.
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