34 years ago, today the national football team suffered black 3 minutes, missed the World Cup, out of the 12 people where today?
On October 28, 1989, 34 years ago today, three matches of the Asian six in Italy's World Cup qualifying tournament began simultaneously. The Chinese men's national soccer team beat the West Asian team Qatar men's soccer team at the Kallang National Stadium in Singapore.
Meanwhile, in another key match, the South Korean men's soccer team took on the UAE men's soccer team a round earlier, and if South Korea remains undefeated, the national soccer team can clinch another ticket to the World Cup by beating Qatar. A day before the match, AFC Secretary General Virapane stepped in to invite South Korea men's soccer team captain Oh Kien Keun and coach Lee Hye-taek to dinner, which supposedly consisted of a request for the other team not to let the game slip away.
Facing a life-and-death battle, then National Football League (NFL) manager Gao Fengwen sent out an attacking formation.
(Late Pool Note: Image cannot be confirmed as being from this game.)
The list of starting lineup and substitutes for the national soccer team is: 20-Zhang Huikang; 2-Zhu Bo, 5-Jia Xiuquan, 4-Guo Yijun, 18-Duan Ju; 8-Tang Yaodong, 15-Zhang Xiaowen, 7-Xie Yuxin, 17-Mai Chao; 10-Marin, 9-Liu Haiguang (68th minute, 6-Wu Qunli).
The two teams played a muddy game on a muddy field because of a heavy rain at noon. At the beginning of the first half, the national football team, which was aiming to win the match, attacked with all its might and played at the highest level since the start of the match. Qatar Men's Football started to utilize quick transfers to launch counter-attacks after holding off the onslaught of the national football team. In the 43rd minute, Zhang Huikang deflected a close-range shot from an opponent's striker, and the national football team switched from defense to advance. Liu Haiguang and Marin started off with a 2-1 combination in the opponent's penalty area, and the opponent's keeper went down to parry. Marin caught up to make up for the empty net, but missed the chance to score. The two teams exchanged each other in the first half.
In the second half, the national football team continued to strengthen the attack, Qatar remained focused on defense. In the 76th minute, Duan Ju saw that the opponent's line was pressing too much. Inside the penalty area, only No. 6 Salem dragged back, immediately big foot punch hanging. Substitute Wu Qun Sterling to Salem, Salem was about to shoot when the opponent was knocked down, No. 1 Men Bakker knocked the ball out. Marin, known as Asia's No. 1 center forward, quickly followed up with a right-footed bow and launched into an empty net to break the deadlock on the field. Meanwhile, in the other match, the score between South Korea and the UAE is 1-1 for the time being, and the national soccer team's hopes of reaching the World Cup have greatly improved.
Unfortunately for the national soccer team, they stepped up their attack even after taking the lead, with left back Duan often assisting through the midfield as Qatar's counterattacks became increasingly threatened.
In the 85th minute, Marin was yellow-carded when he committed a foul. In the 86th minute, Qatar broke through the bottom of the right side of the field and Zhang Xiaowen missed the ball. 12, Al Sofi stopped the ball on his chest and shot the ball into the dead corner, Qatar equalized the score 1-1.
The must-win national soccer team had no choice but to push all the way forward, which gave Qatar more space to counterattack. In the 89th minute, Al Sofi pressured Zhang Xiaowen from the left to hang a diagonal ball into the penalty area, where substitute No. 15 Muftah stabbed in the goal. The national soccer team suffered a three-minute blackout and lost the match 1-2.
Where are the 12 players who represented the National Football League at that time today, 34 years later, when coach Gao Fengwen passed away on Oct. 27, 2020?
Marin, who scored the goal, has been the head coach of a number of Chinese Super League teams, including Liaozhu and Dalian Albin (Dalian), and is now living a retired life in his hometown of Dalian.
Jia Xiuquan stepped down from his position as head coach of the Chinese women's soccer team two years ago and is now the head coach of Shaanxi Shengtang Qinli. Liu Haiguang, who used to play with Jia Xiuquan at his old team Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, is now the president of the Shanghai Football Association XI.
Xie Yuxin is currently the head coach of Guangxi Lanhang, a China B team, and Guo Yijun was the head coach of the Guangdong Football Association U16 team at the beginning of the year.
Zhang Xiaowen, who made the mistake, received the Guangdong Football 70 Years Honor Award in 2019. Among the other two Guangdong soccer stars who received the honor, Mai Chao, known as a penalty kick expert, coached Guangzhou Sun God and Shenzhen and is still engaged in soccer-related work. Wu Qunli was a member of Guangzhou's non-profit "Wu Qunli Football Training Center" and now works with Peng Weiguo at Guangzhou Stars Football Club.
Tang Yaodong, who has been the head coach of a number of teams including Liaozhu, Henan, Chongqing and Wuhan, is temporarily inactive.
Zhu Bo was an assistant coach at Dalian Shide. Zhang Huikang, who retired early due to injury, suffered from depression and used to make a living by running a CAIPIAO store. Duan Ju later chose to play in the Little Japan League before announcing his retirement in 1993. There is no latest news yet.
