Predictions of “off-the-field aggression” from the Chinese crowd went spectacularly awry as hosts China fell.
Chinese fans filled the stadium for the men’s football quarterfinal match between South Korea and Uzbekistan at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Thursday at Huanglong Sports Center in Hangzhou, China.
Unlike the China game, where the press box was packed, the Chinese media was sparse, but the crowd was just as large.
It didn’t take long to figure out who they were rooting for.
After the Uzbek fans in the stands cheered passionately for their team, the Chinese crowd cheered for Uzbekistan.
They chanted “Uzbekistan” and jumped up and down together.
The stadium, which was quiet when Zheng Wuyoung scored the first goal in the fourth minute of the first half, erupted into a frenzy when Uzbekistan made it 1-1 from a free kick.
Most of the spectators in the stadium celebrated by hitting the balloons as if the Chinese team had scored a goal. 온라인카지노
During the first half, as Baek Seung-ho approached the stands to take a corner kick, the Uzbek fans booed from the stands.
When the Chinese fans added their voices, the boos became loud enough to echo through the stadium.
South Korea has been under the “thumb” of Chinese fans since the first game of the group stage against Kuwait. From Kuwait to Thailand in the second round, Bahrain in the third round, and Kyrgyzstan in the fourth round, the Chinese chanted “chayo” at their opponents.
The hope was that South Korea, a heavy favorite to win the tournament, would be eliminated.
It is believed that China’s absence from the tournament coincided with the South Koreans’ match against Uzbekistan.
China, which was aiming for a top-four finish at the tournament in the host country, had South Korea on its radar.
“If we can avoid or beat South Korea, we can hope for a top four finish or even a medal,” Chinese media said.
However, the draw drew them into the quarterfinals, and they met South Korea in the quarterfinals, where they went down 0-2.
The loss came on National Day, at the Huanglong Sports Center in Zhongxingyin, Hangzhou. The Chinese media lamented that “China failed to break the ‘Gonghan Certificate’ this time.
Despite the “unity” of the Uzbek and Chinese crowds, South Korea beat Uzbekistan 2-1 to reach the final. They will face Japan, who beat Hong Kong 4-0 in the quarterfinals, for the gold medal.
South Korea has stood on the podium five times (1970, 1978, 1986, 2014, 2018) since the 1951 Games in New Delhi, India, when men’s soccer became an official Asian Games sport, and has the most wins (Iran four).
After winning the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and the 2014 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, a victory here would mark the first time in Asian Games history that Korea has won three consecutive titles.