On the night of September 19th, Beijing's soccer battlefield was ablaze with not only Asian Games matches, but also exciting matchups in the AFC Champions League and UEFA Champions League. Surprisingly, both our Asian Games team and Taishan team came out on top in the heated battle, however, their light was overshadowed by Yan Junling's moment of joyous reunion with Shanghai Harbour.
In the first matchup of the Men's Asian Games, China took on the populous India in what was dubbed the "Earth Derby" and ended 5-1, with the Chinese Asian Games team getting the last laugh. Although they were a little sluggish at times, they were excellent in the second half, and a win over Myanmar in the next round would make their path to qualification even easier.
Shandong Taishan embarked on a journey to Manila, Philippines after their Chinese Super League clash with Qingdao Hainiu. With local substitutes working in tandem with Brazilian foreigners, Taishan defeated Philippine League champions Kaya 3-1. Despite a 0-0 draw in the first half, they showed excellent athleticism in the second half under dimly lit conditions. Goals from Brazilian foreigners Moises, Pato and Cressan earned them a notable place in the AFC Champions League group stage.
However, the limelight of the Asian Games and Taishan team was quickly stolen by Yan Junling's get-together with the Shanghai Harbor team. In particular, the group photo posted by Yan Junling sparked a lot of hot debate among fans.
Previously, rumors of internal discord within the Shanghai Seaports team abounded, and Yan Junling specially posted a photo of the team gathering, with the caption "a warm big family". Once the photo was circulated, it sparked widespread controversy. Some fans wondered if the lights at the Philippine home stadium were too dim, and whether Shanghai Port could be asked to replace the bulbs. This topic attracted widespread attention after Shanghai Harbor's home defeat against Thailand before the AFC Champions League play-offs. Fans' dissatisfaction with the team was so high that Cai Huikang even joked that the team needed a "light bulb fixer".
Some fans questioned whether Shanghai Harbour Team gave up their AFC Champions League qualification for this cozy get-together. More fans pointed out that Yan Junling's photo was too bright, as seen in the photo, which showed Cai Huikang and other players in the back row were unusually brightly lit, and even some of the players' faces were illuminated.
As Batang United got together with Shanghai Seaports, they had just lost their group game against Ulsan Hyundai by a score of 1-3. The matchup was supposed to be a top-of-the-table clash between Super League leaders Shanghai Harbor and Ulsan Hyundai.
