Guoan captain Yu Dabao fights for a header with Ye Chugui, the visitors' goal scorer. Photo by Wang Fei of the New Beijing News
The opening ceremony and opening match of the 2023 Chinese Super League was held on the evening of April 15 at the new Beijing Workers' Stadium. After three years, Beijing Guoan failed to get off to a good start with a 1-1 draw against Meizhou. After the match, Guoan captain Yu Dabao was named the best player of the match.
the scene (of the incident)
Guoan is back to his "new home", everything is back.
At 20:05 on April 15, referee Ma Ning blew the opening whistle for the match between Beijing Guoan and Meizhou Hakka. It was a match that had been awaited by Beijing fans for too long. It was not only the first game of the 2023 Chinese Super League, but also the first game of the season for Beijing Guoan and the first game in which the new stadium was officially put into use. After three years away, Guoan and the Beijing fans returned to the "Last Courtyard".
From the afternoon of the match day, the green crowd gradually gathered in the new working system. Three years later, the matchday process is familiar and unfamiliar, as fans and journalists alike adapt to the new dynamics of their "new home". Before the opening ceremony, every light on the field elicits cheers from the fans. The atmosphere in the stands was warm and friendly, and greetings of "long time no see" could be seen everywhere - so many old friends chose to support Guoan on this day, Jin Zhiyang, Zhou Ning, Wang Changqing, and so on. The "old Guoan" are all back, keep cheering for the green figure.
Flags fluttering on the stands, scarf wall, by cell phone flashlights composed of the "sea of stars. The "standard configuration" of the former home stadium of Guoan has been reproduced in the new stadium. "Everything is back" is the sigh of relief as people return to their original positions to wait for the protagonists (Guoan soldiers) to punctuate their victory in the opening match.
Zhang Xizhe (#10) celebrates wildly after scoring a penalty.
