On the evening of October 15, the Chinese men's football team faced Indonesia, the opponent of the fourth round of the round of 18, at home in Qingdao. With the goals of Baihelamu and Zhang Yuning, the Chinese team defeated the opponent 2-1 and won the first victory in the round of 18, thus regaining hope on the road to qualifying for the competition. However, due to the obvious disadvantage of goal difference, the team is still at the bottom of the Group C standings for the time being.
Due to poor skills, the Chinese team lost to Japan, Saudi Arabia and Australia in the first three rounds of the round of 18, thus temporarily bottoming the Group C standings with three consecutive defeats. On the evening of the 15th, they welcomed the last team in the group, Indonesia, which was also an opportunity for the team to stop the loss.
However, the Indonesian team that made it to the round of 18 is no longer a fish belly team that is bullied by strong teams. In this game, among the team's 11 starters, except for the midfielder right midfielder Suleiman, who plays for Indonesia's domestic league club, the remaining 10 are all playing for overseas clubs, and seven of them are playing for European clubs. For example, defender Hilges has already played a regular role in the Eredivisie team Twente.
The Chinese team continued to send 442 formations in this game. Compared to the last round of the away game against Australia, the team's starting lineup for this game has two changes. Striker Bai Helamu and back guard Gao Zhunyi started in place of Fernando and newcomer Hu Hetao respectively. As soon as the game began, the two sides launched a fierce battle. Although the opponent's naturalized players have strong personal abilities and are generally physically tough. However, the Chinese team was highly focused on defense, and midfielders including Zhang Yuning, Wei Shihao, and Bai Helamu also actively participated in the defense, thus repeatedly disrupting the opponent's cooperation.
In the 20 minutes of the game, Wei Shihao used his personal ability to create a good opportunity for the national football team to take set-pieces in the front court. After Gao Zhunyi received a free kick from Li Lei, he headed back, Jiang Shenglong hooked the ball to the small penalty area from the bottom line, and Bai Helamu, who was ambushed in front of the goal, easily scored and opened the scoring for the national football team.
After a sustained entanglement in the midfield area, both teams were each given a yellow card. Towards the end of the first half, the Chinese team extended their lead. Using a high-quality counterattack, Zhang Yuning scored a single goal with the assistance of Gao Zhunyi. After the goal, Zhang Yuning cried excitedly, which moved the audience.
After entering the second half, the Indonesian team greatly deployed troops to strengthen the speed of the attack and the intensity of confrontation, so as to repeatedly create dangerous situations in front of the Chinese team. In the 60th minute, the national football coach Ivankovic arranged for the young player Wang Haijian to replace Li Yuanyi, who was too physically exhausted, to serve as a back midfielder to maintain the thickness of the defensive barrier. This is also Wang Haijian's first appearance for the national football team. In the 79th and 81st minutes, Xie Wenneng fell to the ground with cramps twice. Ivankovic immediately arranged for Alan and Lin Liangming to replace Baihelamu and Xie Wenneng respectively to maintain pressure on the opponent's defense. However, the Indonesian team still pulled a goal back with a goal in the 86th minute. In the 89th minute, the Chinese team completed the last substitution. Wei Zhen and Cheng Jin replaced Zhang Yuning and Wei Shihao respectively to strengthen defense. The whole team also saved the victory in the end.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Yun