Tianjin, 27 Mar (Xinhua) -- On the evening of 26 March, in Tianjin, the spring was cold and the wind gusted, making people shiver from time to time. However, at the "Water Drop" stadium, the cheers of more than 40,000 fans were exciting, and the encouraged Chinese men's national football team defeated the Singapore team 4:1 and won a key game in the journey of the World Preliminary Championships.
That night, in the fourth round of Group C of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup Asian Qualifiers Round of 36, the Chinese team scored all three points, and currently ranks second in Group C with 7 points, taking the initiative to advance to the next stage of the top 18 in their own hands.
After the game, the head coach of the Chinese team, Ivankovic, said that the fans on the field, as the "12th" in addition to the 11 players on the field, brought great support to the whole team. There were some twists and turns, but no matter how the score changed, the fans brought the team unwavering support. "This victory is dedicated to so many fans who came to the stadium. The old coach said.
According to the organizers, tickets for the Tianjin Olympic Sports Center Stadium were basically sold out, and 42,977 spectators came to cheer for the Chinese team. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. and ends around 10 p.m. The early spring night and the cold wind were chilly, but the enthusiasm and cheers of the fans were felt throughout.
Two hours before the game, the Chinese Dragons fan club has been assembled, and they are uniformly dressed in Chinese team T-shirts, forming a "Chinese Red" cheering phalanx in a large stand behind the goal. When the players entered the stadium to warm up, the fans shouted in unison "Chinese team" to cheer everyone on. Subsequently, the rhythmic applause and the shouting of the word "China" formed a wave of sound. Huge banners printed with the words "Defend the prosperous China with the youth of our generation" and "Everywhere you look for China, the five stars shine as faith" and other words are conspicuously hung on the stands.
When the players entered, the fans held red scarves with the words "Fight for China" held high above their heads, and the scene was spectacular. A huge portrait of a player printed with "Loyal to the Country" rolls in the fan stands with the "crowd wave". During the national anthem, a huge five-star red flag was held high in the stands, tens of thousands of fans sang the national anthem, and the 11 starters of the Chinese team watched this direction and sang together.
In the game, although the Chinese team with superior strength was scored by captain Wu Lei and opened the score, the hard-working Singapore team quickly equalized the score and once played with momentum and took the initiative on the field. Under the predicament and pressure, the Chinese team is not fighting alone. Tens of thousands of fans shouted "Chinese team" in unison, cheering through the stadium, strengthening their confidence in victory, and also "waking up" the once lost international players. In the end, the Chinese team scored three goals in a row to seal the victory.
Before this big victory, the Chinese team was forced to draw 2:2 by the Singapore team in the last away game. Wu Lei said that the away team failed to win, and the pressure was very great after the team returned to its home stadium in Tianjin.
"After we came to Tianjin, we participated in a few activities with the fans, and you can see that Tianjin is a football city. Interaction with the fans can bring some adjustment to the players and promote mental recovery. On the 25th, Ivankovic praised the fans for their encouragement before the game.
Judging from the results of the national team in recent years, although the performance of the Chinese men's football team is not satisfactory, the fans have never given up, and the scale and professionalism of the cheering have been continuously improved. This not only reflects the accumulation of fan culture, but also reflects their ardent expectations for Chinese football to rise out of the trough, as well as the unchanging sincere love.
'Hopefully we can keep the momentum going, we're on the right path and hopefully we can continue to bring joy to the fans. Wu Lei, who was named the best in the game on the 26th, said after the game.
In the home match against Thailand on June 6, if the national football team can win, it will advance to the round of 18 one round early. As Wu Lei said, this will be the best gift for Chinese fans to repay their support.
Keep up the good work, Chinese men's football team!