With Yang Yang's Wonder Goal in the dying moments, China Team narrowly defeated Greece 1–0. They advanced as the second-place team in the group, behind Colombia, with a record of two wins and one loss from three group-stage matches.
This sparked heated discussion and praise both at home and abroad, especially regarding Yang Yang's performances in the group stage.
Three matches, three goals, and one assist—Yang Yang had created every one of China Team's group-stage goals. Some media outlets even claimed that Yang Yang alone was dragging the train that was China Team along the World Cup tracks.
Even the Greek media had generally only mentioned China Team's defense after the match, singling out two players. One was Zheng Zhi, who had received a red card. They believed that if Zheng Zhi had not committed that crucial foul, China Team might have lost the match long ago.
The other player was Yang Yang. His one-man goal against three defenders at the crucial moment had been spectacular, fully demonstrating the strength and value of a world-class superstar. Even Greece, their opponent, had been forced to admire him.
As the only Asian team to both win a World Cup group-stage match and advance from its group, AFC had lavished praise on China Team on its official website. It believed China Team had displayed the highest level of competitive football in Asia on the World Cup stage, while Yang Yang had proven himself the world's number-one football star.
Domestic public opinion was equally excited. The media and fans were largely satisfied with the National Team's performance at this World Cup, believing that advancing from the group stage had truly been no easy feat.
Colombia's strength went without saying, while Greece and Côte d'Ivoire were also formidable teams. Although none of the three opponents