March 22, 2017, Changsha, Hunan Province, He Long Stadium press conference hall, crowded, 69-year-old "Silver Fox" coach calm and collected, his eyes reveal the calmness of having seen the wind and waves.
Faced with questions from the media, the white-haired veteran was emotional, explaining his deep understanding of "no fear under pressure". He emphasized that from the first day of coaching the national team, the players are constantly warned to put down the pressure and fear, because they represent not only their own, but also the dignity of the 1.4 billion Chinese people, wearing the national team jersey should be fully committed.
In addition to the spiritual incentive, Lippi also gave the players strength confidence: "As long as everyone plays the real level, we do not lose to anyone in Asia."
It was then that the explosion of Chinese men's soccer quietly came!
Gao Hongbo led the national soccer team through four intense matches in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying round of 12 in Asia, but the result was a high start and a low finish, with a 2-3 defeat against South Korea, a 0-0 draw with Iran, a 0-1 loss to Syria, and a 0-2 defeat to Uzbekistan.
On October 11, 2016, Gao Hongbo announced his resignation at a conference after the national football team's away loss to Uzbekistan, saying he was willing to take responsibility for the team's problems.
After his resignation, Gao Hongbo expressed his gratitude to the team and fans, as well as his best wishes for the future of the national soccer team.
Gao Hongbo's resignation instantly put the CFA in the limelight.
FA Chairman Cai Zhenhua personally attended the briefing to explain the preparation process in detail, saying that the FA will fully support the head coach.
Cai Zhenhua emphasized that the FA is more of a provider of services and advice, and the final decision-making power is in the hands of the head coach.
After Gao Hongbo's resignation, Yu Hongchen, vice chairman of the Football Association, introduced the preparation of the national football team and the selection process of the new manager.
On October 22, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced the appointment of Lippi.
Guangzhou Evergrande Club also announced the termination of the employment contract with Lippi, for the national football team to offer the "Silver Fox".
Evergrande took on most of Lippi's salary, which is said to be as high as 20 million euros a year, and Evergrande took on 15.5 million euros.
This kind of operation is one of the highlights of Chinese soccer.
At that time in Chinese soccer, there was a lot of money, but the position of the national football team manager was not good.
Lippi took over the national football team, the name is right, but his coaching debut did not go well, the 12 strong match against Qatar, although the field superiority, but finally 0-0 draw.
Despite the unsatisfactory result, Lippi expressed his satisfaction with his team's play and emphasized that China is not inferior to other teams.
After five rounds of the 12-team tournament, the national football team had two draws and three losses, with only two points, ranking at the bottom of the group.
In March 2017, the national soccer team was in a tough situation for the 6th game of the 12-team tournament, hosting a tough opponent, South Korea.
Gao Hongbo had led the national football team in the 12 strong match away to South Korea with bright results, but the last time the national football team beat South Korea was in the 2010 East Asian quarterfinals, when Gao Hongbo was still the head coach of the national football team.
"Fear of Korea" has always been a problem plaguing Chinese soccer. Before the Changsha match, the Chinese team had a record of 2 wins, 13 draws and 19 losses in 34 meetings in the China-Korea A-Level Tournament.
In 2017, the relationship between China and South Korea was once tense due to the issue of "Saad", the CFA will be the battle of life and death of the national football team in Changsha, the "blessing" of Changsha.
Tickets for the game sold out early, and the Changsha municipal government invested heavily in upgrading the stadium's hardware and software facilities and prepared a large police force to maintain order.
Everything is ready, just waiting for the game to start.
Lippi's request was simple, "We only care about the result of the game, if we still retain the dream of reaching the World Cup, we must take three points."
On the day of the game, Herong Stadium was flooded with more than 40,000 fans wearing red T-shirts with "Battle in Changsha" to cheer for the home team.
With South Korean star Son absent through suspension, Lippi lined up a very attacking 433 formation.
The game began with intense scrambling and mutual offense and defense, and the national football team took the lead in the 35th minute, breaking a 408-minute goal drought in the 12-team tournament.
Demoralized by the goal, the national football team continued to play offensively in the second half, and despite South Korea stepping up their attack, the national football team defended solidly.
In the 89th minute of the match, South Korea formed a header from a succession of corner kicks, and national soccer goalkeeper Wu Xi blocked the ball with his chest.
The national soccer team came close to extending the lead in injury time, but eventually beat South Korea 1-0 to secure their first win of the 12-team tournament and keep their hopes of qualifying alive.
After the game, Herong Stadium was in jubilation, captain Zheng Zhi was in tears, Feng Xiaoting couldn't hide his excitement, and Artemis said his team has never been afraid of the South Korean team.
Ripley was a hit.
Xinhua's review of Lippi was succinct and powerful: "Can make complex things simple, call it a master."
After that game, the South Korean media called it "Changsha disaster", the Chinese media spoofed Sun Xingyu, called him "hat" difficult to save the Lord.
A few months later, a stone monument inscribed with the words "Blessed Land of Chinese Football" was unveiled at the He Long Sports Center in Changsha.
The stone monument is 9.9 meters long and 3.23 meters high, with the score of China 1:0 South Korea engraved at the bottom.
While South Korea made it to the World Cup in Russia, the national soccer team is completely out of the picture.
On March 23, 2019, Yu Dabao came to Changsha again and clocked in at the stone monument, writing, "It's March again, but today the weather in Changsha is extraordinarily beautiful...
