Chapter 456 A man won’t shed tears easily

The Xiangjiang Stadium, located at 55 Eastern Hospital Road, So Kon Po, Hong Kong Island, was completed in 1953 and can accommodate 25000 people. It witnessed a glorious page in the history of Hong Kong football from 1960 to 1970s.

At that time, every time there was a league match, the stadium would be full and red flags would be hung. Fans who could not buy tickets would climb the hillside near Zhengmin Village behind the stadium to watch the game.

This is the largest football stadium in Hong Kong and the home stadium of the Hong Kong national team.

In this life-and-death battle against Australia, more than 3 fans poured into the 1-seat stadium, not to mention the people on the hillside outside.

The simple rooms in the stadium were packed with spectators.

The Governor and senior government officials, the Chairman and directors of the Jockey Club, various members of parliament, heads of large families, chairmen of large companies, and the President of the Football Association, Wang Yuanchao.

Many people did not come to the box and went directly to the audience seats below.

MacLehose paid great attention to the cultural construction of Hong Kong. Football is a culture inherited from the British era. If Hong Kong can go to West Germany to participate in the World Cup, doesn’t this mean that he governed Hong Kong well?
Xiangjiang United was able to draw 1:1 with Australia away from home. In addition, they had won all the way to the finals of the qualifiers before, and with the home advantage this time, their chances of winning are very high.

Because Hong Kong's flag is too complicated, many people paint a red square on their faces and use it as a flag. Those who are beating drums, on the other hand, seem tireless and keep beating "dong dong dong".

The entire stadium seemed to have become a sea of ​​red.

The winning prize for the final was originally agreed to be 100 million per game.

Because the last game was a draw, the bonus for this game was directly added up to 200 million!
The team has no choice but to fight hard.

The Hong Kong team lined up in the classic 352 formation, while Australia lined up in 442.

After the start of the game, Australia attempted to use their speed and strong physique to take the lead. They had played against the Hong Kong team before, and technology was not their strong point, so they had to use their strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses.

However, there were two chances, one missed the goal and the other was blocked by the Hong Kong team.

The Hong Kong team controlled the tempo of the game with better footwork. Their midfield was a barrier, making it difficult for Australia to penetrate deeply. However, Australia's back line was also very solid, making it difficult for the Hong Kong team to break through.

Wang Yuanchao sat peacefully in the box watching the game, accompanied by his wife Liu Qijin, who was both well-behaved and heroic.

In formal occasions, Liu Qijin is always the only one by his side.

This is the eldest wife.

This is the principal house.

Liu Heqing's family also came to watch the game. How could they miss such a grand event?
However, Liu Heqing is with his wife and his two twin daughters, so a four-ticket package is too difficult to obtain, and a two-ticket package is already very precious.

Liu Qi Yu looked up at the box again and again, and seemed to see the figures of his sister and brother-in-law.

The second sister Liu Qibing teased:

"Are you envious of that position, or are you unwilling to give up?"

Liu Qi Yu snorted twice and followed the fans in shouting the slogan "Come on, Hong Kong team", ignoring his second sister's words.

Liu Qibing was not angry either. His third sister's little thoughts were obvious to everyone at home.

But nowadays, it is very difficult to see my brother-in-law. The opportunities are very rare. Most of the time, my sister runs around everywhere, and my brother-in-law is nowhere to be seen at all.

Then I have to travel abroad frequently, which means I spend even less time in Hong Kong.

There are so many things to do in Hong Kong. Besides, my brother-in-law has not only my eldest sister as his wife, but also many concubines!
Besides the concubine, do you have any girlfriends outside? Anyway, according to their mother, the entertainment industry is very chaotic. Therefore, they are determined not to allow the two sisters to enter this circle. Otherwise, with their mother's status, it would be very easy for the two sisters to enter the film industry.

She just kept reminding the third sister not to be so impulsive. They were both 20 years old, and if her brother-in-law had any ideas, it wouldn't be like this today. If she continued to make such a fuss, it would not be good for her eldest sister.

However, the third sister is a little smarter. She never shows it when her eldest sister and parents are around. Only when she is with her, she sometimes does not hide it.

This little girl's mind is starting to become deep!
But there was no time to think about the third sister. The intense drum beats, sighs, and the loud speaker of commentary quickly attracted Liu Qibing's attention to the court.

In the first half, the two teams were tied 0:0. In the second half, the intensity gradually increased.

The Hong Kong team organized an extremely threatening attack, but it was violently destroyed by Australia.

Australia eliminated Iraq and Iran to reach the final qualifying round. They have a tough style but a bit rough strength. The style of the Xiangjiang team is obviously more like the Brazilian technique.

The referee simply took out a yellow card and gave the Xiangjiang team a free kick in the frontcourt, but the No. 7 player of the Xiangjiang team who coordinated the attack had to limp off the field.

The referee is already biased towards Australia!

Wang Yuanchao slapped the armrest in anger. They were playing in Hong Kong's home court, but the referee was still so biased. If it happened in Australia's home court, it would be unimaginable.

This should be a red card!

Tackle, you tackle!
If No. 7 hadn’t reacted quickly, he would have been tackled.

No. 7 is the main midfielder who just returned from studying in Brazil. He just seized the opportunity, dribbled all the way, and formed a classic triangle cooperation with the two forwards!

The Australian team received a yellow card and eliminated a main player of the Hong Kong team. This set piece is so far away. I don’t know how they can play it.

However, complaining and sighing will not help. It all depends on how the Hong Kong team plays.

They quickly recruited the players, who were veteran players, and the kicker was the No. 11 striker who had returned from studying in Brazil, and should be a 22-year-old young player.

The Australian goalkeeper directed his teammates to take positions, and the Xiangjiang players also took positions. This was a free kick about 40 meters away from the goal on the right side of the front court, which was very close to the sideline. Since the distance to the goal was more than 40 meters, basically no one would choose to shoot at this position. The conventional way to deal with it was to hang the ball into the penalty area and let their forwards compete to create opportunities. At this position, hanging into the penalty area and teammates competing for headers was the best way to play. The old player of the Xiangjiang team who just came on the field was tall and famous for his headers. Many fans immediately guessed the next play of the Xiangjiang team based on the substitutions and running positions.

Looking at such a tall guy wandering around in the penalty area, the Australian goalkeeper also guessed the Hong Kong team's style of play.

The offensive and defensive players of both teams were fighting for position in the penalty area. The Australian goalkeeper was also standing relatively forward so that he could attack and directly grab the ball. It can be said that there was no big problem with the opponent's choice. Most goalkeepers would do so in this situation.

Just when everyone thought that No. 11 would lob the ball into the penalty area for his teammates to compete for the header, he unexpectedly chose to lob the ball into the back corner. The Australian goalkeeper was standing forward and was not well prepared, so he could only watch the ball go into the net.

A thunderous cheer came from the Xiangjiang Stadium.

The doors and windows of the box began to shake.

This young player is also a guy with a big heart!

In such an important game, such an important free kick in the frontcourt, he actually dared to lob the ball into the back corner from 40 meters!
The main reason is that the requirements for footwork are too high. The strength, arc, etc. must be just right. If it is a little bigger, the ball will go over the goal, and if it is a little smaller, it will be caught by the goalkeeper.

In normal training, perhaps someone could achieve such an effect, but in such an occasion, it would be incredible if one could only play to 50% of his ability.

Really, Wang Yuanchao didn't know what to say except applauding.

As long as they can enter the World Cup, this No. 11 player will have a bright future!
No. 11 ran frantically along the court, followed by a group of teammates who wanted to catch up with him to celebrate.

Finally he was surrounded by his teammates.

Until the referee blew the whistle to restart the game.

So what if the referee favors Australia? After all, we are all members of the Commonwealth, and except that Australia has lighter skin, the referee will not dare to go too far.

The morale of the Xiangjiang team soared and they launched an offensive like a tide.

Turtle defense?

nonexistent.

In the 79th minute, No. 11 scored again. He dribbled the ball straight into the goal, confusing the Australian players who were defending next to him. Then, after attracting the defense of the central defender, he calmly passed the ball to his own No. 10 on the right, who made the final move.

2: 0!

Time is running out for Australia.

Australia had to make changes in formation and intensify their offensive. They had no way out and no choice.

At this time, the time came to 87 minutes.

They took advantage of a passing error by the Hong Kong team, intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack, catching the Hong Kong team off guard. Before two defenders could catch up, they passed the ball to an unattended teammate on the wing, and Australia scored.

2: 1.

Wang Yuanchao's palms suddenly began to sweat.

He has heard the Flower Planting Team's Three Black Minutes too many times. Could the Hong Kong Team have heard it too?
He just felt his throat was a little dry, and his mind was empty at the moment. He just hoped that time would pass quickly.

It's so fucking exhausting.

However, except for No. 11 in the frontcourt, the rest of the Xiangjiang team retreated to their own half and began to consolidate their defense.

The Hong Kong team passed the ball back in their own half, controlling it to delay time, but Australia had just scored a goal, so they saw hope and they kept biting like wild dogs.

Oops, Australia steals the ball!

Oh, my teammates didn’t respond well, and the Hong Kong team won.

Everyone's heart followed the ball, jumping back and forth. Only those who didn't understand football and were just watching the fun would happily shout "Come on, Xiangjiang team!" They felt that victory was in sight, not knowing that the ball was round and that everything was possible.

Three minutes passed in a flash and the referee announced another five minutes of overtime.

This caused Wang Yuanchao to curse again, saying it was too much, adding such a long overtime period!

The Australian team ran very fiercely, but they could not find a good way to break through the iron wall of Hong Kong. They could not create decent opportunities, and even could not play a decent combination. They had lost their composure due to impatience.

In the end, the Hong Kong team defeated Australia 2:1 at home and won the only ticket to the Asian zone of the 74 World Cup in West Germany.

Wang Yuanchao's eyes instantly filled with tears.

He brought forward the time for Chinese people to enter the World Cup finals by 28 years!
There are local foreigners in Hong Kong, but the Hong Kong United team is full of Chinese. The foreigners playing in Hong Kong are basically foreign players. There are very few local foreigners in the Hong Kong league, and it is basically difficult to squeeze into the Hong Kong United team.

Liu Qijin was a little surprised when she looked at her husband. She had known her husband for so many years, and had never seen him cry even during those difficult and hard times. But just now, he couldn't hide the tears in the corners of his eyes.

Although she was also excited, it was just a football game, right?

She was smart and didn't say anything, but just quietly handed over a handkerchief.

Wang Yuanchao took it swiftly, hid it in his palm, and began to wipe his tears, but the more he wiped, the more tears came, and he could not control himself at all.

Almost everyone in the box saw the Football Association President wiping away tears. They just thought that the Football Association President was crying for joy.

(End of this chapter)