Maiyami International's star, Mei Si, played a friendly match against Japanese champions Kobe Victory Boat at the Tokyo National Stadium on Wednesday (7). Despite playing only as a substitute, Meis' appearance of just 30 minutes sparked great concern and disappointment among Hong Kong fans. Hong Kong and Chinese fans on the Internet have been commenting on the game, with some even describing Mays' performance in Japan as "self-destructive".
On the eve of the tournament, Mays released a statement via her official Weibo account explaining her absence in Hong Kong. However, the message, which was not sent by Mays himself but posted in Sichuan, reads as follows: Hello fans in mainland China and Hong Kong. As I said in the previous press conference, I was unable to participate in the Hong Kong friendly due to a groin injury (Spanish: inflammation of the adductor muscle), which is swollen and painful. Those of you who know me know that I always want to give my best in every game, especially when traveling with my teammates, and the fans are looking forward to seeing us healthy and on the field. I hope that one day we can come back and give our best to our fans and friends in Hong Kong. I also look forward to returning to the mainland as soon as possible to share the joy of soccer with you all. Give you all a hug in advance and wish you a prosperous Year of the Dragon.
Although Mace played as a substitute, he changed into his goalkeeper's kit, not just wearing sneakers as he did in Hong Kong. In addition, former Barcelona stars Suarez, Busquets and Zodi Eiba all made their debuts, while Ennistar was only involved in the kick-off ceremony and did not actually play.
Kobe Victory showed great strength in the match, nearly broke through twice in the first 15 minutes, and in the 19th minute, Busquets was kicked by Isao Osako in the midfield and had to leave the match. At the end of the half, Isao Osako's shot went over the goal, and the two sides went into the second half with a 0-0 draw.
At the start of the second half, Mays was warming up on the sidelines, and the online message boards were immediately buzzing. Many netizens left messages asking for refunds, and some even said there would be some very unhappy people if Mays played. It wasn't until the 60th minute that Meis came on as a substitute, and the crowd erupted in loud cheers. However, it wasn't long before some netizens questioned why Meis did what he did. , and some even described Meis' choice as self-destructive.
Meis came on to the field with a lively performance, and the attack of Maia Mi International increased. Mays repeatedly broke through and created threats in the dense defense, creating parity with the opponent. In the 75th minute, Suarez was replaced, and Meis attacked more aggressively. In the 80th minute, Meis took a powerful shot, but it was parried by the opponent's goalkeeper. Meis then rushed forward to make up for the shot, and was again blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper. Although he failed to score a goal, he had already shown the style of the king of the ball.
The match ended in a 0-0 draw and went to penalty kicks. In the end, Kobe Victory Ship beat Myamy International 4-3, while Mays did not get a shot on goal to show off his shooting skills.
Statistics show that Mays touched the ball 45 times in 30 minutes of play, taking two shots and hitting the frame, making three successful crosses, one key pass, two successes on four groundstrokes, and 32 successes on 38 passes (84% success rate).
In response to Mays' appearance in the Japanese exhibition match, the Hong Kong government responded that Mays had not actually competed in the match and that the authorities were extremely disappointed, as were the fans.
