May 2, BST, Season 2021
China Super League (soccer league)
The league is in full swing, and the third round of the tournament featured a marquee matchup in Guangzhou. Guangzhou took on Shenzhen at the Galaxy Stadium. After a 90-minute battle, Guangzhou defeated Shenzhen with Eckerson's second goal of the season, gaining their first win of the season. However, the significance of this game is not only the victory, but also the warm moments outside the field are also touching.
Gao Lin bids farewell to Guangzhou in the 2020 season
Evergrande (name)
, transferred to the Shenzhen team. As a result of the New Crown Epidemic
China Super League (soccer league)
Gao Lin was not able to bid a formal farewell to the Guangzhou fans who had supported him in the 2021 season.
China Super League (soccer league)
The home of the league, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are in the same Guangzhou division, which allowed Gao Lin to return to the Galaxy Stadium to say goodbye to the fans.
Gao Lin played for Guangzhou for ten years, winning eight
China Super League (soccer league)
Championships, 2 AFC Championships, 3 Super Bowls and 2
soccer league
Cup Championship. He appeared in 344 games, scoring 93 goals and dishing out 94 assists, making him the team's second all-time leading scorer and the
Evergrande (name)
The founder of a dynasty. For Gao Lin, returning to the Galaxy Stadium for this official farewell is a welcome homecoming moment for the Guangzhou fans.
When he left the Guangzhou team last year, Gao Lin expressed his gratitude on Weibo: "Thank you for being in the
Evergrande (name)
The leaders, friends and teammates who have helped me in these years of my life, I thank Mr. Xu for his care and support for the national football team and me over the years! Thanks to the city of Guangzhou for accepting and encouraging me for so many years, these ten years are the most valuable memories of my life."
To welcome the return of Gao Lin, the Guangzhou team created a beautiful poster with the words "Welcome Home". Before the match started, Gao Lin's past goals were shown on the big screen, and every scene brought back the fans' fond memories.
On the day of the match, Gao Lin did not enter the Shenzhen team's starting list. Due to the rain, the pre-match warm-ups of both teams were held in the passage outside the stadium. Shenzhen's fitness coach led the starting players to warm up, while Gao Lin communicated with Wang Yongpei and other substitutes. Gao Lin turned around silently with a smile when the image of his goal appeared on the big screen. As a professional player, he knows that pre-match is not the time to release warmth.
In the first half, Shenzhen fell behind 0-1. During the halftime break, Gao Lin warmed up with Shenzhen's substitutes to prepare for a possible start. In the 52nd minute, Gao Lin started running back and forth behind the coach's box with Jintro and Zhang Yuan. Due to the rain, the warm-up area for both teams was arranged in the same place. Soon after, Huang Bowen, Wei Shihao and Yang Liyu also came to this area to warm up. Gao Lin warmly hugged Huang Bowen, while Yang Liyu and Wei Shihao also came over to shake hands with the big brother. Some fans in the stands chanted Gao Lin's name when they noticed him warming up.
In the 78th minute, Gao Lin came on as a substitute. When the announcer read his name, there was a deliberate pause, and then 30,000 fans chanted Gao Lin's name in unison. However, this time he was no longer a Guangzhou player. The game ended 0-2, Gao Lin couldn't help Shenzhen to score, and his performance wasn't great, but after the game, the fans chanted his name again.
After the game, Gao Lin quickly walked to the
Evergrande (name)
coach's box, hugged Cannavaro and shook hands with his former teammates. A few minutes later, he came to the Shenzhen fans' stand and bowed to show his gratitude to the fans who supported the team.
Afterwards, Gao Lin changed into a white T-shirt with "thanks Guangzhou" written on the chest and "Thanks for ten years, thanks for your love" written on the back. Wearing the T-shirt, Gao Lin walked clockwise around the stadium to thank the fans, waving his hand as he went. By the time he reached the Guangzhou home fans' area, he was already in tears. As if he didn't want to be seen in the rain, Gao Lin wiped away the tears on his cheeks and walked to the last sports fans' area. The fans in the stands of the Tianshui Sports Center were reluctant to leave, chanting his name over and over again.
Talking about this farewell, Gao Lin said, "I just want to thank the fans who came to the scene, and now I can't interact with them so closely, so I printed a 'Thank you Guangzhou' on my chest to thank for more than 10 years of love. Today I am also very touched, as a player of the visiting team, the fans of the home team can send such encouragement, I hope I can have a better performance in the future, to return these fans and friends who care and support me."
Regarding the loss, Gao Lin said, "This is how the game is like, whoever plays better and can play more content will be successful. Today, Guangzhou played more proactively and attacked more patiently to get two goals, we need to go back and summarize and do better in the next game."
