Of all the Asian Games programs, the men's soccer program is arguably the one that receives the most domestic attention. However, as a result of this high level of attention, the Chinese men's Asian Games team disappointed fans with their performance. Despite defeating Myanmar and India in their first two matches, they played a 0-0 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in their final match of the group stage, instantly dashing the goodwill that fans had previously built up for them. The Asian Games team drew a lot of criticism after their draw match against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei completed their final group game, losing 1-4 to Kyrgyzstan. A total of three matches were played in the group stage, resulting in one win and two losses. Due to a goal difference disadvantage, they finished at the bottom of the group and did not qualify for the knockout stage. Despite experiencing a crushing defeat in their last match, they received support and blessings from the fans at the venue. At the Jinhua Sports Center, domestic fans mainly all cheered to the Chinese Taipei team. After the game, when the Chinese Taipei team thanked the fans, the fans applauded and encouraged them, treating them as if they were their home team.
During the curtain call, the leader of the Chinese Taipei team was overwhelmed by great emotion and tears spilled onto the field of play. He didn't expect that coming to Jinhua for the game would be like coming home and feeling the cozy atmosphere of the home court. He was impressed by the demeanor of Jinhua fans and domestic fans. Facing the applause and support from the fans, the leader of the Chinese Taipei team expressed his gratitude and thanked all the fans. This scene also became a very warm scene in the Asian Games, after the women's soccer team of Chinese Taipei was treated in the same way and was equally moved.
The Chinese Taipei and Asian Games teams were treated very differently in the minds of their fans, even the national team was not as popular as the provincial team. When the provincial team suffered a crushing defeat to finish 1-4, they received applause and support, while the Chinese Asian Games team drew with their opponents and they only received scolding from the fans. Of course, this reflects that the fans have different expectations for these two teams, with higher expectations for the national team, hoping for a better performance because the strength of the provincial team is there. In addition to the different expectations, there is also a kind of blood is thicker than water emotion in it, which is manifested in the expectation and hope for the return of the travelers who are far away from home. Therefore, it is normal to have such a gap.
Finally, back to the Asian Games team, being drawn by Bangladesh in the last game of the group stage makes us need to be on our guard. In the knockout stage, we may face Palestine or Qatar, obviously the latter is stronger than the Asian Games team. Entering the knockout stage means a real challenge is coming, and without adequate preparation and great form, it is likely that we will suffer a defeat in the first knockout round, not to mention that it is on our own home ground. If that's the case, you can't blame the fans for being sorely disappointed. After all, Chinese soccer has come to this point because of our own lack of effort.
