Chapter 81 We've qualified!
"Goal...!"
"Goal! Go ...
"GOALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
He Wei's roar echoed in the live broadcast room.
"In the 90th minute of the match! Jiang Yan, with a long-range shot and close-range finish, scored the winning goal!!!"
The fans in the entire Shaanxi Gymnasium in Xi'an went wild.
Tens of thousands of people stood up at the same time, and the shouts lifted the roof off.
"Jiang Yan!"
"Jiang Yan!"
"Jiang Yan!"
The sea of red surged wildly, and all the repression, all the resentment, all the anticipation, all the expectations erupted completely at this moment.
The Qatari player collapsed to the ground, his face filled with despair.
From leading by two goals to being defeated by a last-minute goal, the players' mood can be described as falling from heaven to hell.
Meanwhile, the entire nation of China went from hell to heaven!
Beside the sideline, Hao Junmin clutched his chest, gasping for breath, tears welling up uncontrollably.
He had seen countless star players and heard stories of single-handedly leading a team, but he had never seen anyone who could truly carry an entire team on their own.
……
On the sidelines, Gao Hongbo and his coaching team embraced each other excitedly. Tonight, they were undoubtedly facing the greatest pressure.
From the moment Jiang Yan was placed on the bench, a flood of criticism threatened to overwhelm him.
Gao Hongbo remained silent, simply trusting Jiang Yan blindly.
Jiang Yan also responded to Gao Hongbo with concrete actions.
Even if he only plays the second half, he can still carry the national team to victory.
Gao Hongbo ran to the sidelines and shouted excitedly:
"What the hell do you mean by 'top-tier coach'?!"
On the other side, Daniel Carreno's face was gloomy, and his mood had plummeted.
From a commanding 0-2 lead to a 3-2 defeat, Jiang Yan's strength was something he never expected.
It's likely that the Qatari Football Association will officially announce his dismissal after this match.
His coaching staff all had their heads down and remained silent.
At this moment, Daniel Carreño stood up from the coach's bench.
"Hey guys, cheer up! We didn't lose to the Chinese team, we just lost to Jiang Yan."
……
In the live stream, the viewers were just as excited as He Wei.
Holy crap!!! Jiang Yan is awesome! 666!
What does it mean to be a football king? This is the real football king!!!
[China's own football king!!!]
Seriously, I'll be a fan of Jiang Yan for life after those three shots!
Order Mr. Jiang's jersey now!
Look at him, he's so handsome!
……
After taking the lead, Jiang Yan was finally able to celebrate passionately.
He ran to the corner flag area and performed a graceful knee slide!
With a roar, it seemed as if he wanted to vent all the anger that had been building up.
Sweat trickled down his forehead.
This was the first time he had truly sweated throughout the entire match.
Not only Jiang Yan, but other Chinese players also ran over to celebrate with him. A group of people tossed him high into the air and shouted "Long live!"
"Stop it! Stop it! We don't accept apprentices!"
……
During stoppage time, Qatar, having been completely demoralized, failed to mount any effective attacks.
Beep! Beep beep!!!
The referee blew the final whistle.
The cheers and celebrations of the Chinese team, and the regretful applause of the Qatari team, brought the match to a close.
China defeated Qatar 3-2, and both teams advanced to the next round.
The entire Shaanxi Gymnasium in Xi'an erupted in cheers.
The crowd chanted the hero's name.
"Jiang Yan!!!"
Qatar's number 10, veteran Rodrigo Tabata, took the initiative to shake hands with Jiang Yan.
"Jiang, I'm so glad you made it to the next round. You're the strongest player I've ever seen. I hope to play against you again."
"Me too."
After a brief exchange, Jiang Yan stood on the sidelines enjoying the cheers of the fans, while taking off his original jersey and throwing it into the stands.
The referee personally handed the match ball to Jiang Yan, who had completed a hat-trick in the game.
"Hey Jiang, congratulations! The prospects for the Chinese team to qualify are very bright."
Opportunities are earned through hard work.
……
Studio.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the match has ended."
"I believe tonight's match will leave a strong mark on the history of Chinese football."
"The Chinese team shone brightly in adversity, and the key player, Jiang Yan, scored a hat trick to secure these crucial three points for the Chinese team."
"I believe that after tonight, the name Jiang Yan will become an indispensable national hero in the hearts of the Chinese people, just like Cristiano Ronaldo is to Portugal and Messi is to Argentina."
"Those who watched the whole game must have been particularly impressed with him. Whether it was his powerful shots at crucial moments, or his defense, interceptions, and tackles, he demonstrated a level higher than that of Asian players. He truly deserves the title of King of Adversity."
"After reviewing the match, let's analyze the Chinese team's chances of advancing."
With the completion of all 40 matches, the teams that have secured first place in their respective groups and advanced to the next round are:
Group A Saudi Arabia: 6 wins, 2 draws, 20 points.
Group B Australia: 7 wins, 1 loss, 21 points.
Group C Qatar: 7 wins, 1 loss, 21 points.
Group D Iran: 6 wins, 2 draws, 20 points.
Group E Japan: 7 wins, 1 draw, 22 points.
Group F Thailand: 4 wins, 2 draws, 14 points (Indonesia withdraws).
Group G, South Korea: 8 wins out of 8 matches, accumulating 24 points.
Group H Uzbekistan: 7 wins, 1 loss, 21 points.
"These 8 teams directly advance to the top 12, while the remaining 4 teams will be selected from the second-placed teams in their respective groups to enter the top 12."
"They are!"
Group A, UAE: 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 17 points.
Group C China Team: 5 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 17 points.
Syria in Group E: 6 wins, 2 losses, 18 points.
Group F Iraq: 3 wins, 3 draws, 12 points (Indonesia withdrew, goal difference will be used).
"China has successfully qualified! After 15 years, they have finally returned to the final stage of the Asian World Cup qualifiers!!!"
"Every Chinese person should remember this moment!"
"This will be a new beginning for Chinese football!"
"World Cup! Here we come!!!!"
"I am He Wei."
"I am Zhan Jun."
See you in the next game.
……
Inside the CCTV live broadcast studio.
After completing their commentary duties, the TV station staff rushed into the studio to celebrate excitedly with the two commentators.
He Wei thoroughly enjoyed this moment.
On the other side, Zhan Jun was still calculating the points, afraid that something might go wrong.
No matter how you look at it, it's an indisputable fact that the Chinese team has qualified!
After repeatedly confirming, he finally joined the celebrating crowd.
……
On the sidelines, Gao Hongbo and his coaching staff inevitably went wild.
"Coach Gao, we did it!"
"We did it! After fifteen years, we've finally, finally, finally reached this point!"
"Brother Gao! Look!"
The teaching assistant pointed to the celebrating crowd.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go celebrate!"
The substitutes, the coaching staff, and even the personnel all rushed towards Jiang Yan.
For Chinese football fans, this was destined to be a sleepless night.