January 18th.
The third round of the AFC Asian Cup group stage came to an end.
30 minutes before the game between China and India.
In the China team locker room, Gao Hongbo re-emphasized the technical and tactical requirements formulated in yesterday's pre-match preparation meeting and then cheered the players on.
He was a little straightforward, which was not a problem, but he lacked tactfulness in dealing with interpersonal relationships.
Therefore, he always did not please the media, and it was difficult to make everyone happy in the team.
Qin Xiong thought that as the captain, he should say something.
He stood up, and everyone turned to look at him. Whether he played or not, Qin Xiong's aura was unusually strong. Even some of the young players could not help but raise their heads and stick out their chests as they listened attentively.
Qin Xiong said to everyone solemnly, "Today is a key game. I have communicated with the manager. I will sit on the bench. When will I play? For example, by the 60th minute of the game, if we have not taken the lead, then I will play. If we fall behind, I may play early. "
Everyone nodded when they heard that. They had a general idea in their hearts.
Gao Hongbo did not say that Qin Xiong would definitely not play in the game. If that was the case, why put him on the bench and waste a substitute spot?
Qin Xiong continued, "I said that because I don't want to put too much pressure on you. Of course, if I were you, I would not be under pressure. What level is India? You defeated Bahrain in the first game, and Bahrain swept India with a score of 5: 2 in the last game. According to common sense, you can easily beat India.
But a football game can never be reasoned like that. State, pressure, environment, and a thousand possible unexpected factors in the game may make a game go differently from what people have previously imagined.
But I have confidence in you. If I were you, I would work harder to play this game!
I've been on the national team for almost seven years. Since 2004, people have been talking about me the most when they talk about the Chinese team. Please forgive me for being immodest. We're all men, especially men who play football. We're men who have to fight, fight, sweat, and sometimes even bleed!
So we don't need to be secretive. The outside world often credits China's victories, progress, and achievements to me alone.
No! I knew in my heart that this was wrong.
In my memory, Yang Zhi made at least 5 wonderful saves to protect the goal. Sun Xiang also saved 3 times from danger in the penalty area. Zheng Zhi organized in the midfield and created offense for the team. Peng Fei also scored a lot of key goals. All of this represented that we were a team!
However, the outside world has placed me on a pedestal. Here, I have to apologize to all of you for depriving you of your contributions! "
As soon as Qin Xiong finished speaking, many players subconsciously shook their heads.
Qin Xiong's contribution to the national team was too great, so it was natural for him to receive any kind of praise.
Not only in the hearts of the fans, but also in the hearts of the vast majority of China players, Qin Xiong was a god on the field!
He led the China team forward, shouldering the country's mission and honor with his own strength, and also let his teammates proudly face the world with their heads held high!
Therefore, there was no need for Qin Xiong to apologize!
It should be everyone thanking him!
Qin Xiong continued with a serious expression, "So, it's time for you to fight back to the outside world. Tell everyone that this team not only has Qin Xiong, but also you! There's you, there's you, there's you, there's you, there's you! "
Every time Qin Xiong said "there's you," he pointed to a teammate who would be in the starting lineup today.
His teammates couldn't help but nod.
"Tell the world that the China team is not great because of Qin Xiong, but because this team is extremely united. Everyone is silently contributing to the national team. We put team honor first. We will not bow our heads in the face of any difficulties. We will fight to the end. We will burn our lives on the field! Therefore, we are great! "
Qin Xiong's words were powerful and resonant. After he finished speaking, Zhang Pengfei roared, and someone immediately echoed. The momentum of the China team completely broke out before the field.
After the players walked out of the locker room and entered the players' tunnel, Qin Xiong followed behind them and cheered on each of his teammates. Then he walked into the field. Countless reporters on the sidelines and fans in the stands immediately picked up their cameras to take photos of Qin Xiong. Qin Xiong walked naturally to the substitutes' bench and sat down, calmly waiting for the game to start.
Gao Hongbo completely looked at Qin Xiong in a new light.
He had not had much contact with Qin Xiong in the past six months. Today, Qin Xiong's speech in the locker room could be considered to have truly shown the style that a captain should have.
This was something that he could not bring to the team as a manager.
He was very happy that the captain was not only a world-class superstar, but also had the demeanor of a leader!
He had stronger confidence and expectations for the cooperation between the two in the future.
In the comparison between the China team and the Indian team, it was clear that the China team was better. In the last game, there was a gap in physical fitness between the China team and the Australian team, and the China team was obviously weaker.
But in today's game against the Indian team, the China team was obviously stronger than the Indian team in terms of overall physical fitness!
In addition, the team's technical and tactical maturity was also higher than the opponent, so it was not difficult for the China team to win the game.
But the China people always had a problem: they were scaring themselves!
Especially the media, they were always paranoid. It was as if the sky would fall if Qin Xiong did not play in the game!
Perhaps the China players themselves also had this problem, but today, after Qin Xiong's speech, everyone removed the last of the burden.
At the beginning of the game, the China team dominated the field and took the lead in the 16th minute of the game by relying on fast and smooth team cooperation.
Zhang Linpeng assisted on the flank with a pass to assist Han Peng with a header goal!
The Indian team, who was at a disadvantage in the physical confrontation, could not withstand the impact of the China team at all.
Just like how they lost to Bahrain, the Indian team's will to resist was not tenacious under the background of hopelessness.
Before the end of the first half, Huang Bowen scored the second goal for the China team with a long shot from the edge of the penalty area.
After the China team took the two-goal lead, the Indian team had no motivation to reverse the situation in the second half.
The China team scored another goal in the second half with Zhang Pengfei's steal in the penalty area.
The victory was secured with a score of 3: 0.
Qin Xiong, who was sitting on the substitutes' bench, stood up and applauded his teammates after every goal.
He still did not play for a minute in this game, but he did not feel that there was a problem at all.
On the contrary, he was happy for the team. If the China team wanted to move forward, other than Qin Xiong himself to maintain his peak form and not decline, the other teammates naturally had to work harder.
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