Chapter 1,233 Defeating Iraq

Gao Xiaodong's third goal broke the fighting spirit of the Iraqis and also greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese team players.

In the remaining 7 minutes and 3 minutes of stoppage time, the Chinese team played very well and the defense did not give Iraq a chance.

After Iraq's last shot hit the stands, referee Green blew the whistle to end the game.

The Iraqis sat slumped on the grass, as if mourning their heirs.

After losing this game, the mutual records are also at a disadvantage. Even if Iraq ends up with the same score as the Chinese team, the Chinese team will qualify.

What particularly disappoints the Iraqis is that unless they can defeat Jordan by more than 2 goals in the next round, whether they can qualify in the final round will depend on others.

The result and score were both ideal. The players of the Chinese team were very happy. They circled the field and applauded the fans, thanking them for their strong support.

The Chinese fans who came to watch the game kept applauding and chanting the name "Gao Xiaodong" and refused to leave for a long time.

Currently, the Chinese team has 9 points, Jordan has 9 points, and Iraq has 6 points.

In the next game, the Chinese team will play Singapore, and Jordan will have a fierce battle with Iraq.

Since Singapore is too weak, the Chinese team's 3 points can be recorded in advance.

If Jordan wins, the Chinese team will qualify one round early.

If Iraq wins, the Chinese team will qualify as long as they draw with Jordan at home in the final round.

Camacho was very satisfied with this result. At the post-match press conference, Camacho strongly praised the Chinese team's performance today and believed that based on the state and technical and tactical level shown today, the Chinese team fully deserved it. The last place in the World Cup in Brazil.

It's rare that Camacho also praised Gao Xiaodong alone, "Every team needs players like Gao Xiaodong. He can play almost all positions on the field. With him on the court, everyone doesn't panic. Everyone They can all give full play to their abilities, Gao Xiaodong is indispensable, he is the soul of the team."

Camacho looked forward to the game against Singapore three days later, "Singapore is a relatively weak team in this group. Considering that we are playing away from home, there are many unpredictable factors. We cannot be careless and underestimate the enemy. We must ensure that we win." Three points.”

Iraq head coach Zico was impressed by Gao Xiaodong. He said: "Actually, we played well today, but Gao Xiaodong was amazing.

We did not lose to the Chinese team, we just lost to Gao Xiaodong. If we also had a player like Gao Xiaodong, the score should be reversed. "

Zico compared Gao Xiaodong to Maradona, "He is the Maradona of China. He defeated us on his own. I have to say that except for No. 23, the other players of the Chinese team are not worthy." Gao Xiaodong."

Although he lost the game, Zico is still optimistic about the prospect of qualifying. "The initiative is still in our hands. We will defeat Jordan in the next round, and finally win Singapore. We can get 12 points. 12 The points are enough to guarantee us a spot in the top 10.”

A big victory allowed Camacho and Gao Xiaodong to win the trust of the Chinese Football Association. After the game, Football Association Chairman Wei Ge hosted a banquet at the Sheraton Hotel to celebrate the players. Yida Group, which introduced Camacho's coaching team to the Football Association, also A plane was chartered to send the players to Singapore to prepare for the game.

The Chinese national team arrived in Singapore and received a warm welcome from local fans.

Of course, this welcome was mainly for Gao Xiaodong.

The Chinese team has a poor record in Asia, and even a loser like Singapore can't look down on the Chinese team.

However, Gao Xiaodong is now the most popular star in world football. He is not only a Chinese player, he is also the pride of Asian football, and Singaporeans are naturally proud of him.

Singapore had lost all four of its previous games and was eliminated two rounds early. The only goal it scored was against the Chinese national team.

With no hope of qualifying, the only wish of Singaporean fans now is to watch superstar Gao Xiaodong's personal performance live.

The best stadium in Singapore is the Singapore National Stadium, which can accommodate 55,000 people. However, because this venue is under renovation, the match between the national football team and Singapore was arranged at the home ground of the Singapore Junior Football Team: Jalan Besa Stadium.

Although the Jalan Besa Stadium is an artificial grass field with only two sides and can only seat about 5,000 fans, it is second only to the National Stadium, and its venue conditions are the second best in Singapore. The AFC Champions League home stadium of the Singaporean Army team, which has participated in the AFC Champions League many times, is located here.

The Jalan Besa Stadium is a sad place for the Chinese team. On May 5, 2009, in the AFC Champions League group stage, Shenhua was unexpectedly tied by the Singapore Legion here and lost the chance to qualify.

Henan Jianye, which participated in the AFC Champions League for the first time in 2010, lost to the Singapore Army team here.

The national team led by Gao Bo also played against the Singaporean team here in August 2009. In the end, the two sides tied 1-1 and narrowly won 5-4 on penalty kicks. After the game, the national football team was also wildly criticized by public opinion and fans. Singapore is a weak team, and the Chinese team has never been able to defeat the Singaporean team here. Of course, it is not without reason. The main reason is that the Jalan Besa Stadium is very small and the turf is artificial turf.

Artificial grass is harder than real grass, and the grass is also shallower. The feeling of playing is very different from real grass. In addition, the stadium is small, so it is not suitable for the Chinese players who are tall but have rough skills.

The current Chinese national team has become very powerful after Gao Xiaodong joined and is considered one of the strongest national teams in history. Before the game, the media and fans believed that the Chinese national team led by Gao Xiaodong will definitely win in Jalan Bei. The Sa Stadium broke the embarrassing record of losing to Singapore in 90 minutes, and does not rule out another big score sweep.

Although Singapore lost all four games, they still didn't want to be a salty fish after returning to their home court.

Singapore’s meritorious coach Serbian Avramovic said at the pre-match press conference: “The elimination of the group was the result we expected. Miracles are not created every day, but this does not mean that we are prepared to compete in the remaining games. We still have our own small goals, such as getting a point. I think it is possible. We have home fans cheering us. We have a psychological advantage. In addition, we are more accustomed to artificial intelligence. Playing football on the turf, if the Chinese team is careless and underestimates the enemy, we may realize our dream."

Camacho was originally full of confidence, but after leading the team for adaptive training at the Jalan Besa Stadium, Camacho's confidence was shaken. He complained before the game: "The stadium is too small. I don't know if such a stadium is really good." Does it meet the requirements for World Cup qualifying? Maybe this is more suitable for seven-a-side football matches. In addition, can a country as wealthy as Singapore really not afford natural turf? Artificial turf is definitely not suitable for regular games. If Singapore cannot find a suitable Stadium, I think the AFC should let this game be played in a neutral country... Well, there is a reason why Asian football is underdeveloped. God bless, I hope we will not encounter such a stadium again in the future."