When Zhang Kuang was interacting with the players and fans, He Wei's voice came from the CCTV live broadcast room, with a heavy calmness:
"At the end of the game, the national team lost 0:3 to China Hong Kong Team at home. They completely missed the top ten games, and even missed the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
This is the third consecutive time we have missed the top ten. This is a disappointing result, but football is so cruel. Zhang Kuang's hat trick killed the game and also killed China National Team's hope of qualifying.
Of course, we can't help but ask: Why has China national football team failed to reach the top ten for three consecutive years? Have we completely become a third-rate team like Asia?
What causes all this? Is it the selection mechanism, the training mechanism, or the league mechanism?"
Zhang Lu was silent for a long time, and finally said, "China Football needs to think about it carefully. Asia The positioning of a third-rate team is very accurate.
Because Asia is a first-class player who competes in World Cup, Asia is a second-rate player in the top ten, and Asia is a third-rate player who can only play in the top 20.
The national team has failed to win four consecutive games in the top 20 third-rate games and has not scored a single goal. It seems that it will soon be reduced to the bottom of Asia.
And some unknowing colleagues and fans still regard China national football team as Asia. I really don't understand. Is this the level of a first-class team? We must be clear-headed and objective..."
In TVB's live broadcast room, Chung Chi-kwong and Wong Hing-kwai were obviously in higher spirits.
Chung Chi-kwong said, "Hong Kong Team won! Defeat the national team 3:0 in Workers' Stadium! This is one of the greatest victories in the history of Hong Kong Hong Kong Football Team! Zhang Kuang's hat trick, Cris Kang's organization, Fan Chun-yip's clean sheets... every player is Hero!"
Wong Hing-kwai smiled and said, "Our qualifying situation is very good! As long as we don't make big mistakes in the last two rounds, Brazil World Cup will be waiting for us! Zhang Kuang proved it with three waves today: He is one of the best players in Asia!"
Chung Chi-kwong: "To reach the top ten means that Hong Kong Team is already the second-rate team of Asia. If it reaches World Cup again, then Hong Kong Team will be the first-rate team of Asia. Come on, Hong Kong!"
--
After Zhang Kuang interacted with the fans, he accepted the award for the best player from Asian Football Confederation and also accepted an official interview.
Reporter: "Zhang Kuang, congratulations on your hat trick, and congratulations on leading Hong Kong Team to four consecutive group stage wins. You have basically qualified for the qualifying round. How do you feel?"
Zhang Kuang: "China National Team has not made it to the top ten for two consecutive years, but this time, we are here. We were able to score because of the hard work of our teammates and the good tactical arrangements of the coaching staff. I just completed the final shot, which is nothing."
Reporter: "Today China National Team shot 15 shots, 5 of which were on target, with a ball possession rate of 56% and 7 corner kicks.
And Hong Kong Team only had 10 shots, 6 shots on target, 3 goals, 44% ball possession rate, and 3 corner kicks. The data is far inferior to China National Team, but he won. What do you think of this?"
Zhang Kuang: "I don't have any opinion. This data comparison can only show one thing: Hong Kong Team's conversion rate is higher, and our ability to seize opportunities is stronger."
Reporter: "Why were you substituted within ten minutes of the start of the second half? What do you think coach Troussier's considerations were?"
Zhang Kuang: "The head coach told me at halftime that because some fans wanted to challenge me in the first half, out of consideration for my safety and not to create more conflicts and conflicts, the head coach told me to leave after ten minutes."
Reporter: "So that's the reason. As far as we know, those fans who cursed were instigated and paid. What do you think of this?"
Zhang Kuang acted very 'shocked', then suddenly realized...
Sure enough, every top star is a top actor.
Zhang Kuang: "So that's it. I knew that China's fans are the cutest and very sensible. How could they curse? Although I heard that Workers' Stadium's culture is Beijing's curse, but that's a league, not an international event.
Some people are really bad. They pay people to scold me and provoke conflicts. Who are these people? They can't be from within us China people, right?
And those who are paid to scold others and stir up trouble know that it is not our China people who want to do this, but they still receive money to do things. That is not the leading party, that is not the Imperial Alliance Army.
If this was done before the 1980s, a true traitor would have been shot. They have to thank the new era for allowing them to do such things without being punished."
Reporter: "..."
The reporter really didn't expect Zhang Kuang to say such words, and was speechless.
Reporter: "What is Hong Kong Team's next goal?"
Zhang Kuang: "You have to ask the head coach about this, but I believe you need to train while ensuring you qualify. After all, it's not as easy as Asia to compete with a second-rate or above team."
Reporter: "Okay, thank you for accepting the interview, and I wish you all the best."
Zhang Kuang:"Thank you, goodbye."
Camacho only stayed in China National Team's locker room for less than three minutes.
He opened the door and walked in, glanced at everyone, and then said, "We are out, that's it. I will pay for my own results and resign to the Football Association. I wish you good luck!"
Then he turned and walked out.
The door closed behind him with a dull sound.
There was dead silence in the locker room.
No one spoke, no one moved.
Zheng Zhi sat in the corner, staring at the ground. Li Weifeng leaned against the cabinet and closed his eyes.
Gao Lin covered his face with a towel.
Why did the head coach abandon them?
It's because they were so bad that the head coach felt he couldn't lead them anymore, so he simply left.
Also, after four consecutive games without a win and without scoring a goal, what advanced tactics can such a team use to turn things around?
After a long time, Zheng Zhi stood up and began to pack his things.
His movements are slow and mechanical.
Others also started to take action one after another: changing clothes, packing equipment, and preparing to leave.
No one talked.
It was a silence more suffocating than the loss itself.
In the locker room on the other side, the atmosphere was completely different.
When Zhang Kuang walked in, his teammates were already cheering.
Li Weilian threw a bottle of water into the air, Shane·Lowry was taking pictures with his mobile phone, Fan Chun-yip stood in the middle of the locker room, holding the game ball in his hand, which was the ball that Zhang Kuang picked up after completing his hat trick.
"Zhang Kuang, come on, come on, come on, take a picture together. From now on, we will take a picture at every game and keep it and sell it for money later."
"Haha, then I want to cooperate too..."
--
At the press conference after the game, Camacho did not bring the team captain to the press conference, he was the only one.
As soon as the press conference started, Camacho started talking.
"Dear friends from the media, hello everyone, we lost today, and it was our fourth consecutive defeat in the group stage. We didn't win a game and didn't score a goal.
I made two substitutions early today to confirm one thing, which link of ours had the problem. Finally, I confirmed that our finishing ability was indeed not good.
To be honest, I have searched all the clubs in China, and currently the best attackers are available.
However, we still can't solve the problem, and I have no choice. So, next, I will resign to the Football Association. My ability level is limited and I cannot help players develop some super abilities out of thin air.
Of course, I also have my own personal concerns. With the current technical and tactical level of China National Team, I am afraid that my reputation will not be guaranteed. Making money is important, but reputation is more important. That's it, thank you all, and goodbye."
Camacho stood up and left after saying that. He didn't even wait for the translator to finish translating the last sentence.
All the reporters looked confused. Did they leave so simply?
Football Association already knew the news, because Camacho had just told the players in the locker room, so the team leader immediately reported it to the Football Association.
The manager Wei Di just said "I know" softly. He was helpless. To be honest, this really can't be blamed on his poor tactical skills. It's really because of the players' limited ability.
The release meeting continued, with Troussier and Fan Chun-yip sitting there waiting for reporters to ask questions.
Troussier: "Dear friends from the media, thank you for waiting. The weather in BJ is very cold, but my mood is very beautiful at the moment, because Hong Kong Team has just won four consecutive victories in the top 20 group stages of World Cup qualifiers Asia.
At present, we have locked in the qualification spot, because Iraq, who is third, can only get 9 points even if he wins the next two consecutive games, and we now have 12 points.
Of course, in the end we will strive for first place to qualify. Although there is not much difference between first place and second place, we must develop the team cultural gene of 'always fighting for first place'."
Troussier nodded after speaking, meaning to let the reporters ask questions.
Reporter: "I would like to ask Mr. Troussier, if you were Camacho, what should you do when faced with a situation like China National Team's weakness?"
Troussier was stunned for a moment, dumbfounded.
Troussier: "Then I will resign faster than him, haha... Of course, this is just a joke. However, I heard China there is an old saying, 'It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice'. As a head coach, if my team does not have a forward who can score goals, then I can only suffer defeat? Doesn't this ruin my reputation?"
Reporter: "..."
--
Hong Kong Team is in a good mood, but the national team is in a bad mood. There are still two rounds of games. The most important thing is that the next game is on November 15th. Now that Camacho has resigned, who will lead China national football team?
This is an issue that everyone is concerned about, so many reporters turned their attention to the China national football team players. They ran to block the exit of the China national football team players' bus.
When Zheng Zhi was the first to come out, reporters rushed to him.
"Zheng Zhi, you lost the game, your hope of qualifying is gone, and the head coach resigned. How do you feel now? Do you know what the team's plan is?"
Zheng Zhi stood in front of the microphone, his expression as calm as a pool of stagnant water, but there was a tremor in his voice that he tried to suppress.
"The team lost, and World Cup qualifiers was eliminated early. This is a very sad thing. I don't know what to say now. It's inappropriate to criticize anyone, and it's also inappropriate to say words of encouragement. Let's leave it like that. Other things will wait for arrangements from above."
Reporter: "Do you think it's a tactical issue or a personal issue?"
Zheng Zhi took a deep breath. "I said, nothing I say is appropriate now, and no one can explain the reason."
Reporter: "What do you think the national team should do to solve the problem of weak forwards? Currently, there are no such forwards in the country. If we have to wait for strong forwards to grow up, it will probably take many years. Have you ever thought about taking the road of naturalization?"
Zheng Zhi: "How can I answer this question? Okay, that's it, goodbye!"
After Zheng Zhi got on the bus, the bus left quickly.
The reporters were quiet for a while and then dispersed.
Workers' Stadium In the square outside, the cold wind was still blowing.
The fans who left the game walked out of the stadium in twos and threes. Some walked silently with their heads lowered, some were cursing loudly, and some were on the phone, passing disappointing news to the people on the other end.
The score was still scrolling on the electronic screen at the entrance of the stadium: 0-3. That number was particularly dazzling in the night.
In front of a barbecue stall on the street, several young people wearing China National Team jerseys sat together. The beer bottles in front of them were half empty.
They were silent. Occasionally, someone looked up and glanced at the light coming from Workers' Stadium, and then returned their gaze to the wine glass.
A scarf vendor closed his stall. He tied the remaining scarves into a bundle, slung it on his shoulders, and walked slowly toward the subway station.
There are more than a dozen red scarves on his shelves with the words "China Must Win" printed on them, but they didn't sell any tonight.
At the exit of the east gate of Workers' Stadium, a group of Hong Kong fans were taking a group photo.
They wore white jerseys with the Hong Kong regional flag painted on their faces, and their laughter spread far in the cold wind.
Someone unfurled a small flag with the words 'Hong Kong Jin Ju' written on it. Under the night cover and illuminated by the lights of Workers' Stadium, the color of the flag was particularly bright.
There was a group of angry China national football team fans who wanted to beat up those Hong Kong fans, but were stopped by the security officers who suddenly appeared, and then the person who spoke the loudest was knocked to the ground and taken away by the security brigade.
The fans were surprised, is it so strict? They had been drinking and had a fight with Luneng and Shenhua fans before. Isn't that normal? At least they pushed and shoved and it was fine.
Now they just want to look for trouble and they are taken away?
Damn it, you lost the game, why don't you let people vent?
--
Many China football people couldn't sleep that night because they once again fell before the top ten games, and this time it was even worse, without winning a game or scoring a goal.
This looks very much like World Cup from 2002.
Zhang Kuang's words, like Zhang Lu's words in the program earlier, echoed in the ears of all China football people.
"China national football team lacks a real striker."
"We need a striker who is at the level of the five major leagues."
"Not even a foreign forward like Chinese Super League who scores more than 20 goals in a single season."
"Teams with forwards from the five major leagues advance to World Cup. Only top forwards can qualify in the World Cup group stage."
"..."
These words all mean one thing: none of the current China forwards can compete with foreign players in the Chinese Super League league, let alone anyone who can gain a foothold in the five major leagues, let alone anyone who is dazzling in the five major leagues...
Of course, it's not that there is none, there is Zhang Kuang.
But...
Alas!
Depressing.
Drink.
It's right now that I think about it.
Back then, Yang Chen and Bundesliga all scored goals. It would be difficult to score even one goal against World Cup, let alone the current China local forwards who can't even score a few goals against their own Chinese Super League when they play against World Cup.
You can't even score the goal of the second-rate team in Asia, so you have to go to the goal of the strong team in World Cup?
This is such a stark reality, it really stings every China football player's face.
But since Dong Fangzhuo, there have been no local forwards from China who have gone overseas to Europe, so how can they grow?
So, what is the reason why forward China cannot study abroad for Europe?
As a result, a group of people from within football began extensive discussions.
--
Of course, these have nothing to do with Zhang Kuang. After returning to Hong Kong, they have to prepare for the game against Jordan Team four days later. As long as they win this game, they will be firmly ranked first in the group.
When Hong Kong Team returned to Hong Kong, the players from Jordan Team also came to Hong Kong to get familiar with the away game in advance.
These people are all old acquaintances, after all, we just beat them in an away game not long ago.