Back in the 1980s, it was a time of passion and change for Chinese soccer. At the beginning of the reform and opening-up period, the life of the people of China was not as rich as today, but Chinese men's soccer ushered in a new world.
At that time, the national soccer team in Asia as the status of the day, among the top four in Asia, Asia and Oceania World Cup only two seats, Chinese soccer is close to this goal.
In 1981, Spain's World Cup qualifiers were full of smoke as 20 teams from Asia and the Pacific battled it out for two qualifications. The powerhouses of Iran, Japan and South Korea returned in full force, while New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and China Wit and China played together.
In the first round against New Zealand, China suffered a "black opening". However, in the second round against the powerful Kuwait, recovering from injury, Rong Zhixing stepped up and scored with a header, and then assisted Gu Guangming to extend the score. In the end, the score of 3:0 shocked Asia, and the rise of Chinese soccer showed its first signs.
In fact, Chinese soccer is just one step away from the World Cup. All that was needed was for Saudi Arabia to lose to New Zealand by more than 5 goals at home, and China would advance on goal difference. However, Saudi Arabia is not a weak team, and New Zealand's miracle did not happen. In the first half, New Zealand scored 5 goals in a row, catching Saudi Arabia off guard.
China had to play a play-off against New Zealand and the national soccer team has been disbanded for more than two months. Facing increasingly brave opponents, Chinese soccer's dream of a first World Cup came to an abrupt end. After the match, coach Su Yongshun summarized, "We lacked experience and were lightly beaten in the first game, which ultimately led to passivity later." This active block has become an anomaly in today's Chinese soccer.
There is no "fear of Korea", "fear of Japan", Chinese soccer has long been firmly established in Asia. On the contrary, Japan suffered from "Sinophobia", and in the 1984 Asian Cup final, Chinese soccer beat the United Arab Emirates 5:0 to reach the final with their heads held high.
In the semi-final match against Kuwait, both teams were scoreless for 90 minutes. In extra time, Zeng Xuelin led a long-distance attack, and Zhao Dayu scored a brilliant shot to help China reach the final in a historic way.
Despite losing to Saudi Arabia in the final, Chinese soccer had its best result in the Asian Cup. Jia Xiuquan won the Asian Cup Golden Boot award with three goals and became the star of that tournament.
In the 1982 Beijing International Soccer Friendship Invitational Tournament, China drew with Morocco, Algeria and Yugoslavia selections and Uruguay, but these were not the highlights. In the warm-up match with Argentina, China made the world's attention with a 1:0 victory over Argentina, which was playing with half of its starters.
At that time, most of the players in the national soccer team had the strength to gain a foothold in the European league. With the rise of new stars such as Yung Zhixing, Li Huayun, Bebeto and Bastian, Chinese soccer had an unprecedented opportunity to develop.
At the 1983 World Youth Championship, Yung Chih-Hsing, Li Huayun, Bebeto and Bastian were recognized as the "Six Rising Stars". After the warm-up match with Barcelona, the team management tried to bring in Ancient Guangming, but he chose to stay in China and became the pride of the national soccer team.
In 1985, Chinese soccer suffered a severe blow during the 5-19 incident. The Chinese team lost 1-2 against Hong Kong, sparking anger among fans. After the match, extremist fans stormed the stadium and beat up Hong Kong fans and foreign journalists, causing the situation to spiral out of control.
The "5-19" incident has become the eternal pain of Chinese soccer. Coach Zeng Xuelin summarized: "5-19 is my nightmare, Chinese soccer does not turn over, I will not close my eyes."
Despite the unsatisfactory results, Chinese soccer brought countless hopes and happiness to people in the 1980s. Today, Chinese soccer is facing difficulties, but the fighting spirit is always there, and it can always bring surprises when facing strong opponents.
