Decoding the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup: Chinese soccer's first World Cup trip
For Chinese fans, the afternoon of June 4, 2002 was undoubtedly a moment to remember. At the World Cup Stadium in Gwangju, South Korea, Chinese soccer stepped into a World Cup arena for the first time, and the historic nature of the moment cannot be overstated.
In that match against Costa Rica, Coach Milo sent in a host of famous players such as Jiang Jin and Xu Yunlong. Although the opponents looked like underdogs, the historic opportunity was not to be missed.
Costa Rica's coach, Guimarães, was once a disciple of Milo, a relationship that seems to portend an exciting matchup. Costa Rica's formation is led by stars such as Lloris and Marin.
The match started with the whistle of Greek referee Kiros. China took the lead in the second minute, when Sun Jihai's breakthrough triggered a foul, but the free kick opportunity was not converted into a goal.
Costa Rica's offense was equally swift, and in the fifth minute, Martinez's long-distance shot was easily parried by Jiang Jin. Immediately after, Costa Rica's counterattack came close, but fortunately Li Weifeng destroyed it in time.
China was more active on offense as Marin was yellow-carded for a foul and Li Tie came on as a substitute after Sun Jihai was injured in defense. The game entered the 20th minute when Yang Chen's shot nearly broke the deadlock.
In the second half, Costa Rica's offense intensified and Gomez's goal in the 61st minute put China behind 0:1. Costa Rica then added a second goal to keep the score 2:0 until the end.
This World Cup debut loss, so that many fans can not help but imagine, if Sun Jihai has not been injured, the end will be how? But history has no ifs and buts, Chinese soccer's World Cup journey has just begun.
