Guiyang, June 30 (Xinhua) -- On the evening of June 29, at the Guizhou "Village Super" football stadium located in Rongjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, in the competition for the quarterfinals of the 2024 season of the "Village Super", the Zhongzhong Village Football Team, as the runner-up in the 2023 season, lost 1:2 to the Dongmen Village Football Team, which participated in the team for the first time, and was "upset".
Compared with the 20 participating teams in the 2023 season, there will be 62 participating teams in the 2024 season, including almost all high-level players in Rongjiang.
The average age of the starters is over 29 years old, and the loyal village team, which is considered by many fans to be the favorites to win the championship, is known for its mature and steady style of play. However, judging from the night's game, the performance of the Dongmen Village team was better, with proper tactical execution and tough and sophisticated play, and it was not at all obvious that it was a new army with an average age of only about 20 years old.
"We made full preparations before the game, firmly implemented the tactics during the game, worked tirelessly, and worked hard to achieve the results that the team needed." Yang Chuanguang, a member of the Dongmen Village team who scored the team's two goals that day, said.
Dong Yongheng and Wang Xiangbing, the two wingers of the Loyal Village team, also said that although the main reason for the team's loss was that they did not play to their full strength, they should also pay tribute to the opponent's excellent performance. "They were very good at speed, power, tactics, etc.," he said. Dong Yongheng said that this also shows that the young generation of players in Rongjiang have carried the banner of "village super".
"The rapid growth of young players is due to the continuous drive of the 'Village Super'." Lai Hongjing, a member of the Guizhou "Village Super" Organizing Committee and a physical education teacher at Rongjiang County No. 1 Middle School, said that the "Village Super" has provided all teams in Rongjiang with better opportunities to "train by competition" and promoted the rapid improvement of the technical and tactical level of the participating teams, especially the young teams.
More teams in the competition means more tactical play and more competition. Last year's fourth-placed Shin-Nakamura football team changed its name to Dangxiang Village this year and has now secured a place in the semi-finals, and they are expected to go one step further this season.
"After more than a year of tempering of the 'village super' competition and friendly matches, the main players of the Dangxiang Village team, Lu Jinfu, Lu Hongliu, Xiao Xiangjian, Lin Kaiming, etc., have become more mature and stable." Yang Bing, a commentator of Guizhou's "Village Super", commented that the players of the Dangxiang Village team have been strengthened in terms of technical tactics and psychological quality, and their overall performance is more prominent than last season.
Many netizens also said that behind the "upset" of the loyal village team is the remarkable performance of the overall level improvement of the "village super" team. For example, the Pingdi Village Football Team, Kouzhai Village Football Team, and Xiaorui Village Football Team, which entered the quarterfinals last year, failed to reach the quarterfinals this year, but were replaced by the new Liangwang Village Football Team and Dongmen Village Football Team. The defending champion Chejiang Ilcun football team won on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
In another game on the evening of the 29th, the Yuezhai Village football team, which was favored by many viewers before the game, was eliminated by the Chejiang No. 2 Village football team and stopped in the quarterfinals like last season. The Chejiang Ercun team, which eliminated them, did not even break into the quarterfinals last season, but this year they counterattacked all the way and reached the semifinals.
"Every team has improved a lot this season and everyone has worked hard, but our team has improved even more and we have worked harder when we play." Shi Shibi, a member of the Chejiang No. 2 Village team, said that football is like this, and the spirit of unity and hard work shown in the game can sometimes determine the trend of the game.
There is no such thing as a smooth sailing life, and there is no winning general on the football field. There will be an end to the game, but there is no end to love, for the losing team, as long as you maintain the spirit of never say die, keep training, and fight bravely, everything is possible in the future!