At 8 p.m., at Lusail Stadium.
There were fewer spectators tonight than at the game against Team America, with only a little over 60,000 in attendance.
Even so, this was still the most-watched of all the Round of 16 games so far.
As soon as the China Team players entered the arena, they saw a huge flag waving back and forth in the stands. The man waving it was the middle-aged, chubby uncle who followed the China Team wherever they went.
Wang Yi led the China Team players onto the court. First came the national anthems of both sides.
Wang Yi led the way, pressing his right hand firmly against his chest and holding his head high.
He stood perfectly straight.
Seeing him, the other players all pressed their right hands to their chests just like Wang Yi, standing straight and holding their heads high.
Then the melody deeply etched into their minds began to play. All the players joined in, and the China Team fans in attendance sang along as well.
There were even more China Team fans here tonight than at the game against Team America—over ten thousand of them.
All the China Team fans wore red shirts. Some had China's flag painted on their faces, and every one of them waved a small Chinese flag.
They sang the national anthem along with the melody.
Foreign commentators couldn't help but remark, "It looks as if all of Lusail Stadium has become the China Team's home court."
As China's national anthem played, the Japan Team players were quietly astonished.
They were amazed by how strongly united China was.
Next came the Japanese national anthem. The Japan Team players sang it solemnly, but there were fewer Japanese spectators in attendance than Chinese ones, and the players themselves didn't seem as