Hangzhou Asian Games Spotlight Battle on the Horizon: Chinese Team Takes on Challenges, Korean Players' Remarks Lead to Controversy
As night falls on September 30th, Beijing time, the clock strikes 21 marking the start of the focal point of the Hangzhou Asian Games. The match between China and South Korea is about to take place, and the comments made by South Korean player Kim Tae-hyun in a pre-match interview have certainly added more uncertainty to the game.
In beating Qatar, the national soccer team managed to advance to the last eight of the Asian Games, returning to the second round of the knockout stage after 25 years. Now, they will compete with South Korea for a place in the semifinals. However, with Gao Tianyi and Jiang Shenglong suspended for accumulating yellow and red cards and Zhu Chenjie's injury in doubt, confidence in the national soccer team varies.
Facing the challenge, Kim Tae-hyun said, "We have to take care of safety and we have to overcome the absence of VAR even though it may lead to unfavorable decisions. The opponent's action is intense, so if the referee shows a red card, it will be good for us instead. As for the home advantage, I won't train specifically to deal with the crowd, just to shut up the Chinese fans with goals."
Kim Tae-hyun's comment sparked widespread discussion, not only expressing concern over the referee's possible unfavorable decision, but also planning to undermine the opponent's home advantage by scoring a goal. The comment not only caused controversy, but also surprised international players such as Dai Weijun, Tan Long and Liu Yang, as well as attracting criticism from fans.
One fan commented, "I do this kind of nasty stuff all the time, so I think others do too. Korea doesn't need referees like in 2002, we're already out." Someone else said, "The Chinese women's table tennis team is incredibly strong, but it turned out that both of them ended up in the last eight. If the Chinese women's table tennis team will lose, why won't the Korean men's soccer team? I hope players like Dai Weijun and Liu Yang can beat the Korean team and not disappoint the fans!"
However, there are also fans who express different emotions: "It's infuriating! I'm very angry that there's no reaction at all, can't the men's soccer team compete? Win this game and you won't be criticized again for a year!" Another fan encouraged, "As the home team, we have the advantage and hope to beat Korea on their own turf, never lose to them, come on!"
