In an exciting moment, the Chinese soccer team finally scored against Japan for the first time in nearly five years. Going back to the 2019 East Asian Cup, a clever assist from Jin Jingdao and a beautiful shot from Dong Xuesheng broke the deadlock, but the national soccer team still went down 1-2 to Japan in that match. However, on a more macro international level, this achievement marked the first time since the 2004 Asian Cup that the national soccer team had penetrated the Japanese goal in a match. In August of that year, the national soccer team lost 1-3 in the Asian Cup, with Li Ming being the only player to score for his country.
It is interesting to note that Li Ming, who scored for the national soccer team in the East Asian Cup, is now the general manager of Beijing Guoan. Lin Liangming, a rising star in the Chinese Super League who is now playing for Beijing Guoan, has benefited from Li Ming's appreciation and has been able to blossom at Beijing Guoan. However, Lin Liangming's path to soccer has not been a smooth one. He started at Guangzhou R&F Football School, joined Real Madrid's U19 team at the age of 18, and was promoted to Real Madrid's second team, Castilla, at the age of 19, where he made seven appearances and contributed two assists.
After his Real Madrid career ended, Lin Liangming moved to Portugal, joining Gondomar before being loaned to Madeira Mariners. However, during this period of study, Lin Liangming was hardly given a chance to play and his precious time in Europe was almost wasted. 2020 winter, Lin Liangming decided to return to China and joined Dalian Ren. In his four seasons with Dalian Ren, Lin Liangming made 86 appearances, scoring 26 goals and contributing 8 assists.
With the dissolution of Dalian, Lin Liangming once again faced the challenge of finding a new home. Last winter, he finally chose to join Beijing Guoan. In his first season at Guoan, Lin Liangming showed dazzling performance, scoring 10 goals and providing 3 assists in 29 appearances. His outstanding performance won Ivan's trust and he gradually became a key player in the front field of the national soccer team. Today's goal against Japan was his third for the national team, and he also scored in warm-up matches against Myanmar and Malaysia.
Lin Liangming had made his name at Real Madrid but spent a couple of uneventful seasons in Europe. Now, he has become one of the most reliable local scorers in the Chinese Super League. Lin Liangming's goal against Japan today was not only a testament to his talent, but also a perfect illustration of his title of "Real Madrid veteran"!
