They're both players who play in Shanghai, what a difference! One lost his face to a Chinese Super League team because of his lack of aggressiveness; the other didn't give up until the last minute and was praised by the fans!
Although the national soccer team lost 0-3 to South Korea in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, for once they were not vilified and abused by their fans. Why is it that fans used to curse when they lost a match, but not now? It is not that it has become a habit and the fans are too lazy to curse, but a saying: we can not be as good as others, but we can not lose without backbone!
In the past, the national soccer team was not as good as the game itself, but the mental attributes were not good, playing soccer was not a progress, and they often took a walk to play soccer. However, in this world qualifying tournament, all national soccer players were full of energy and dared to fight with their opponents until the last moment, whether they were average Thailand or top Asian Korea.
Zhu Chenjie, a center back from Shanghai Shenhua, is also one of the main center backs of the national football team in this year's World Qualifier. In the 52nd minute of the second half, the national football team attacked in front of the field, Wu Xi took the ball and was pushed down by the opponent, the referee did not award a foul and signaled to continue. Wu Xi stretched out his hand to show his disbelief, but the referee could only get up immediately to catch up. South Korea sent the ball forward with a kick, Sun Xingyu brought the ball past Zhu Chenjie and passed the ball to Li Gangren. Li Gangren entered the penalty area and passed Yan Junling, leaving him with nothing but an open goal for the national soccer team.
As the fans wait for the score to become 0-3, a shot from Gangren Lee misses the goal. Did Li Gangren deflect it or was it high? However, no, but Zhu Chenjie, who had just been beaten by Sun Xing, blocked Li Gangren's shot with his body. Zhu Chenjie didn't stop chasing after being beaten. It was his failure to give up that delayed the gate of the national soccer team for the third time until the 87th minute. Zhu Chenjie's behavior was praised by fans after the match.
It reminds me of what Shanghai Port faced in the AFC Champions League, where Fu Huan faced the same situation. The Sydney FC midfielder passed a Shanghai Port defender chasing Fu Huan who knocked down the keeper and allowed the opponent to bring the ball into the box, creating the potential for an open goal. Surprisingly, Fu Huan did not continue the chase, but stayed put and watched his opponent's performance. Instead of opting to shoot, the Sydney FC player brought the ball straight into the goal, humiliating Shanghai Harbor.
Fu Huan's behavior really lost the face of the Chinese Super League team. Now Fu Huan has moved from the Chinese Super League to the Chinese League One, but his performance is no better. They both play in Shanghai, but why is the difference so big?
