When Qin Xiong pushed his luggage cart out of Bloemfontein, the legal capital of South Africa, there were already countless reporters waiting for his arrival, as well as fans from countless countries!
As a world-renowned football superstar, even if Qin Xiong represented the China team, which was considered a mediocre team in the eyes of the Tree Shade powerhouses, he was still extremely popular!
The grand occasion outside Bloemfontein Airport was unprecedented, almost causing a traffic jam. After Qin Xiong walked out of the airport with his team, he casually answered a few questions from the reporters.
"The China team's probability of qualifying? I never think about these boring questions, because a team with a 99.9% probability of qualifying may be eliminated, and a team with a 0.01% probability of qualifying may create a miracle. It's completely meaningless to think about these things. What we have to do is to do our best and not let ourselves regret it.
My teammates and I, we crossed half the world to come to Africa, not for a vacation, and not simply to appear in the World Cup. We are here to complete the game and strive to achieve our dreams! "
"Championship? Haha, can the China team win the championship? Is it realistic for the China team, which has never reached the knockout stage? We will not bite off more than we can chew, nor will we daydream. We will move forward step by step and do our best to reach our limit. That's enough. That's what I think. "
"It's hard to say my condition now. After all, I haven't had formal training for more than a week. Coupled with the relaxation at the end of the season, it's very likely that my condition will decline. This is a problem that cannot be ignored. I will meet up with the national team, and then adjust my physical and competitive condition according to the actual situation."
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After answering some questions, Qin Xiong put on his backpack. He also had a suitcase that his personal coach helped to carry. He signed autographs for some fans, then got in the car and left to meet up with the national team.
After arriving in South Africa, the China team had already started the warm-up games before the World Cup.
One of the three warm-up games had already been played.
Qin Xiong arrived at the hotel where the national team was staying and first reported to Ali Khan.
If there were no accidents, this World Cup would be the last tournament that Ali Khan coached the China team.
After the World Cup, he would leave the position of manager.
This was not difficult to guess.
Because of Qin Xiong, it was inevitable that the fans and the Chinese Football Association would have higher expectations for the China team.
Therefore, if Ali Khan could not lead the China team to achieve good results in this competition, then the fans and the Chinese Football Association would definitely not agree and he would be terminated!
And if he led the China team to achieve good results, it would be very difficult for him to work for another four years, because the China team would face the problem of large-scale replacement. Then, it would be very difficult to complete a breakthrough four years later.
In addition, the position of China's manager did not actually have much value. If Ali Khan was rational, he would not choose to renew his contract with the China Football Association. He might as well work hard to achieve good results in this competition and then retire with glory.
After a joint discussion between the team doctor and Qin Xiong's personal team, Qin Xiong was the first to undergo recovery training in the training camp.
Qin Xiong did not participate in the second friendly match against Nigeria.
He only appeared in the third friendly match against Sweden.
And this kind of warm-up match was just to let him and his teammates find the feeling of a competition. They would not fight with their full strength with real swords and guns.
On June 11, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa opened in the capital, Johannesburg!
The flames of war for the World Cup were officially ignited!
The China team would welcome the first match of the group stage in three days. They were not eye-catching on the stage of the World Cup and received very little attention. Even with Qin Xiong, they were still not favored in Group E.
Cameroon had the advantage of being a local team, the top European team, the Netherlands, and the second-tier European team, Denmark. The China team was not being looked down upon. It was just that their opponents in the same group were very strong.
On June 13, the pre-match press conference.
Ali Khan and Qin Xiong attended together.
As the captain, Qin Xiong said what the players were thinking.
"I don't want to answer any more questions about advancing from the group stage.
In the eyes of the outside world, we will definitely lose to the Netherlands and will definitely not be able to beat Cameroon and Denmark.
In that case, does the media hope that the China team will simply take the initiative to give up the game and go home?
As for the strategy of forcing a draw with the Netherlands and defeating Denmark, sorry, football is not a math problem. As a player, especially as the captain of the China team, I can only say that we will put in all our efforts to win and then see what the result will be! "
China's football media still had the original intention of firmly supporting the China team, but sometimes too much worry would also affect the China team.
For example, celebrities would post comments every day to design a strategic plan for the China team to advance from the group stage. To be honest, it was a little worrying!
Football was sometimes not so complicated.
Especially for the weak.
The China team was the weak team on the stage of the World Cup. What qualifications did the weak have to calculate? There was only one way to go!
June 14, 3: 30 p.m., Bloemfontein Free State Stadium.
The stands were overcrowded. The participation of the China fans in this World Cup was significantly higher than in the past.
From 2002,2006 to 2010, this was the third consecutive World Cup that the China team participated in. The fans came to the World Cup to cheer for the team and became a craze.
Of course, this would be of great help to the China team.
The China team's first match against Cameroon.
This game also had a bit of a gimmick.
Qin Xiong and Eto 'o met again on the field half a month later.
This triggered a media hype.
It was claimed that Eto 'o had the opportunity to complete his "revenge" on Qin Xiong in the World Cup.
More than half a month ago, Qin Xiong led Liverpool to defeat Inter Milan. Eto 'o was one of the losers.
If you think about the other opponent in the same group, the Netherlands team, Qin Xiong's relationship with Dutch football, plus the fact that the Netherlands team's main lineup had his former teammates, there was no need to talk about the opponents.
Qin Xiong looked like he would be "avenged" by many people after coming to the World Cup. Snede, Robben, and even his former teammates in the Premier League like Robin van Persie …
Compared to four years ago, Qin Xiong's appearance in the World Cup as the captain of the China team attracted more attention. He also had a calmer temperament.
When the national anthem was played during the kick-off ceremony, the Free State Stadium reverberated with a shocking sound.
In addition to the China players singing the national anthem in unison on and off the field, the China fans in the stands, who filled about one-fifth of the stadium, also sang loudly.
It seemed that the China team was using the sound of the national anthem to let the world pay attention to them and transmit their voice to the world.
They did not come here simply to participate in the World Cup!
Just like four years ago, they wanted to complete a breakthrough. Every breakthrough would create a new history and glory for China's football!
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