China's second World Cup match before the World Cup at the Westphalia Lun Stadium ended 1-2 and still had no wins, but it was not bad news for Chinese coach Lippi, who had already decided which players to bring to Russia through his two pre-World Cup warm-up matches.

In addition, the two games also saw the progress and shortcomings of the Chinese team.

Especially lacking, central defender Feng Xiaoting and striker Gao Lin are in a very sluggish state, and some problems have been exposed at left-back, but the problem is not big.

Originally, according to Lippi's idea, the central defender partners were 23-year-old Gao Zhunyi and Feng Xiaoting, but Feng Xiaoting's game state and attitude have declined very obviously, and if he is placed in the main position, it is likely to become a time bomb for the Chinese team in the group stage of the World Cup.

After playing a warm-up match against Germany, the Chinese team returned to China on a chartered flight the next day and will prepare for their final World Cup qualifier against Ecuador in Xi'an.

Before arriving in Xi'an, the Chinese Football Association submitted a final 23-member squad to FIFA.

Goalkeepers: Yan Junling (Borussia Dortmund), Zeng Cheng (Guangzhou Evergrande), Wang Xiaolei (Shandong Luneng)

Defenders: Zhang Linpeng (Juventus), Gao Zhunyi (Gent), Feng Xiaoting (Guangzhou Evergrande), Li Xuepeng (Guangzhou Evergrande), Deng Hanwen (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jiang Zhipeng (Hebei Huaxia Happiness), Shi Ke (Shanghai Shanggang), Liu Yiming (Tianjin Quanjian)

Midfielders: Tang Zheng (Real Madrid), Hao Junmin (Schalke 04), Liu Ruofan (Marseille), Li Kui (Shakhtar Donetsk), Wu Xi (Jiangsu Suning), He Chao (Changchun Yatai), Zhang Xizhe (Beijing Guoan)

Forwards: Lu Liang (Liverpool), Sun Jingbo (AC Milan), Wu Sanshi (Roma), Yerfan Yezimujiang (Feyenoord), Zhang Yuzhan (Werder Bremen)

After all, Liu Yiming and Huang Zhengyu are obviously weaker than Feng Xiaoting and Gao Zhunyi in terms of ability and experience, and they can't show a convincing performance in the limited warm-up time, so it's normal to be out.

Cao Yunding and Wei Shihao, who play in the domestic league, are naturally the top in the Chinese Super League, but they are not at the same level as foreign players.

However, Gao Lin's exit is somewhat surprising, he has a lot of experience in the game, and his role in the front court is obvious, not only as a center forward, but also as a side to bring opportunities for teammates to cut forward in the middle.

But looking at the foreign players in the forward line of the Chinese team, it is understandable.

Although Liu Ruofan and Ye Erfan are only nineteen years old, their abilities are very strong, which those top stars in the Chinese Super League do not have.

The only controversy is that Huang Bowen and Zhao Xuri were brushed down by U23 player He Chao......

Of course, it's just a controversy.

Lippi's tailor-made 4231 formation for the Chinese team has long been formed, the double back combination is quite stable, it is Tang Zheng and Li Kui who rose in the Australian Asian Cup, and the three forwards and forwards will be foreign players if nothing else, so the living space left for domestic players is completely negligible.

Huang Bowen and Zhao Xuri have played as an organizational midfielder and a defensive midfielder respectively in recent seasons, which means that they are destined to play as substitutes, as long as Tang Zheng and Li Kui are healthy, they will not have a chance to play.

Rather than leaving the precious opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the World Cup to Zhao Xuri and Huang Bowen, who are over 30 years old, it is better to leave it to future stars like He Chao.

It can be seen that it is not difficult to see Lippi's layout for the future of Chinese football.

Lippi, who has reached the age of 70, will end his 35-year coaching career after the World Cup this summer, according to domestic media, it is neither Maddaloni nor Li Tie who will take over Lippi's coaching, but Cannavaro, who is currently coaching Guangzhou Evergrande.

Whether it's Lippi or Cannavaro, they are good at developing young players, so Lippi brought a lot of young players to the World Cup in Russia.

The seven players who did not make the final 23-man squad were disbanded on the spot, but instead of returning directly to their respective clubs to prepare for the second half of the league season, they were given a short break.

During the period of the domestic league break, these players follow the national team to train, there is no time, and the Chinese team has the last warm-up game, according to FIFA regulations, the submission of the 23-man squad does not mean that it cannot be changed, if a player has an injury 24 hours before the start of the opening match of the World Cup in Russia, it is possible to change the player, so these players still have a certain chance of participating in the World Cup in Russia.

It's just that this possibility is a little low.

The 23-member squad submitted by the Chinese team appeared on the official FIFA website, which means that the World Cup in Russia is getting closer and closer......

But before that, the Chinese team also had a World Cup warm-up match at the Xi'an Olympic Sports Center and Ecuador.

The reason why Lippi chose Ecuador as the last opponent of the Chinese team is very targeted, Ecuador's overall strength is not particularly strong, but the style of play is similar to that of Peru, the last opponent of the Chinese team in Group C.

It can not only adapt to the opponents of the World Cup group stage in advance, but also bring confidence to Chinese players.

Kill two birds with one stone!

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The Xi'an Olympic Sports Center, which can accommodate 60,000 spectators, is full, and those fans who have not bought tickets for the group stage of the Chinese team can only cheer for the Chinese national team in advance in this way.

Under the cheers and shouts of the fans, the Chinese team opened the scoring early through a direct free kick from captain Tang Zheng.

Lu Liang, who had an impressive performance in the past 2017-2018 season, helped the Chinese team expand the score, and Sun Jingbo, who played for AC Milan, was unwilling to be lonely and icing on the cake.

In the end, the Chinese team defeated Ecuador 3:0 with the cheers of the fans.

However, all the coaches, players and staff of the Chinese team did not fly to Russia for the first time, but rested for two days, and then took a charter flight to Kazan, Russia at 11 noon Beijing time on June 12 to prepare for the first round of Group C group stage with France.

According to the official ticket purchase channel data of the Russian World Cup Organizing Committee, more than 100,000 Chinese fans have purchased tickets for the Russian World Cup, second only to the number of Russian fans who have purchased tickets, but this is not the number of Chinese fans who have poured into Russia.

You must know that there are not many people in China, but there are many people, especially when the Chinese team has reached the World Cup for the second time in a row, the fans are particularly crazy.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the number of Chinese fans, there are many Chinese elements that have become the highlight of the World Cup in Russia.

In the future, you can see the small national flags waving in the hands of fans on the large electronic screen of the stadium, 100,000 crayfish from Jingzhou, Hubei Province to Russia on the China-Europe train, and the mascot of this World Cup, "Zabiwaka"; FIFA-authorized commemorative edition of the Hercules Cup......

In addition, seven Chinese companies have become sponsors of the World Cup in Russia, reaching the highest number in the history of the World Cup.

Of course, it is the Chinese men's football team that has attracted the attention of Chinese fans.

Four years ago, the Chinese team returned to the World Cup after 12 years and reached the quarterfinals, will the World Cup in Russia four years later go one step further in the Chinese diamond generation led by Tang Zheng and create a new record for Asian teams in the World Cup?

When the whole Chinese team appeared at the flight exit of Kazan International Airport, in addition to many Chinese fans who arrived in Kazan ahead of schedule, there were also a large number of Russian fans, but these Russian local fans welcomed not the Chinese team, but individual players of the Chinese team.

For example, Tang Zheng, Lu Liang, Zhang Linpeng, these players who have a high reputation in the European League.

The Chinese team arriving in Kazan quickly engaged in active preparations, as the first round match against seeded France will have a direct impact on the team's prospects of qualifying.

Although the overall strength of the French team is stronger than the Chinese team, the football game is never divided according to the strength of the game, it requires the players to decide the final result through 90 minutes of struggle, so the Chinese team in the Kazan stadium in the first group stage of the Russian World Cup is expected to achieve an upset.

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The opening match of the 2018 World Cup in Russia will be held at 6 p.m. local time on June 14, which is 11 p.m. Beijing time.

Before that, there was the traditional opening ceremony.

Tang Zheng watched the opening ceremony with his teammates at the hotel, and unlike the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, which often lasted for several hours, the opening ceremony of the World Cup is usually controlled to about 30 minutes, and the World Cup in Russia is no exception.

Despite the time constraints, the Russians put on an unforgettable show for fans around the world, with six highlights worth remembering.

First of all, before the opening ceremony, the legendary Spanish goalkeeper Casillas and the Russian supermodel Vodionova jointly brought the Hercules Cup, which symbolizes the highest glory of world football, into the stadium.

Then it was Brazilian star Ronaldo who walked into the Luzhniki Stadium with a young boy in hand, and his fake shot in the center of the stage ignited the frenetic atmosphere of the opening ceremony, which became one of the six highlights of the opening ceremony.

The third highlight was the famous British singer Robbie Williams, who sang the first note of this musical feast in a red suit, and the passionate and energetic song instantly transformed the Luzhniki Stadium into a sea of music.

The Russian soprano Aida Galiflina followed with a soulful duet that brought the frenzy to a climax.

The fourth highlight is still from the famous British singer Robbie Williams, his singing on the sidelines of the stadium shows his middle finger towards the broadcast screen, which attracts attention, but Tang Zheng, who is sitting in front of the TV, understands Robbie Williams's approach, he is for the pursuit of freedom, but the way is a little too ......

The fifth highlight is that for Chinese only, there are six small flag bearers from Danzhai County, Guizhou, China, which is the first time in the nearly 90-year history of the World Cup that Chinese flag bearers have appeared at the opening ceremony.

The six flag-bearers of the opening ceremony are all from the same country, province and county, and this historical moment will also be written into the history of the World Cup.

In addition to the Chinese flag bearers, 12 Chinese ball boys also entered the stadium with Russian players.

The final highlight came from the stands, where fans from all over the world dressed in fancy clothes at the opening ceremony expressed their excitement for the upcoming World Cup.

For example, a fan who painted his head with the logo of the World Cup in Russia not only attracted the attention of the fans, but also appeared in front of the world with the television camera.

What made Tang Zheng speechless was that there was even a Chinese fan holding a fan scarf of the Chinese Super League team Beijing Guoan, which became one of the unique scenery on the scene.

Tang Zheng and many teammates looked at each other, but Zhang Xizhe from Beijing Guoan was ecstatic and praised the Beijing Guoan fan.

The end of the opening ceremony means that the opening match is coming.

Hosts Russia hosted Australia at the Luzhniki Stadium, and both sides looked a little nervous at the start of the game, playing very restrained and not fully showing the characteristics of their respective teams.

It wasn't until the game entered the tenth minute that the two sides slowly let go.

No one expected that less than two minutes after letting go of the kick, the host Russia scored.

Zoblin stuffed the right rib into the penalty area, Zagoev's shovel shot from 12 meters in front of the goal was broken by Omar Hausavi, Zoblin's left corner kick was pushed out, Russia won the ball and continued to attack, Golovin crossed diagonally from the left to the back point, and Gazinski pushed it into the bottom left corner six meters in front of the goal.

The rest of the game was played back and forth with a very open game, but Australia, eager to equalise, failed to score and were only extended by Russia before the end of the first half.

Golovin burst into the right side of the penalty area at high speed, Zoblin split the ball in the middle, and substitute Cheryshev smashed two defenders with his left foot on the left side of the penalty area, and fired a left-footed shot into the near corner of the net from six meters in front of the goal.

In the second half, Australia had no choice but to step up their attack.

Russia has become smarter, defending first and then attacking, so Australia didn't find too many opportunities.

In a frenzied home atmosphere, Russia sealed the win in the 71st minute, when substitute Dzyuba scored from six yards out to extend the score to 3-0.

The players of the Chinese team who sat in front of the TV to watch the game shook their heads again and again, and even Tang Zheng sighed, Australia's performance was actually not bad, but it was too anxious to face the host.

According to Tang Zheng's guess, Australia may still concede the goal.

In the first minute of stoppage time, Cheryshev, who had been teammates with Tang Zheng for a short season, scored a shocking kick with the outside of his left foot.

However, the home team's goal feast for Russia was far from over, and in the last minute of stoppage time, Golovin took a direct free-kick from the right side of the penalty area, and goalkeeper Matthew Ryan did not react.

In the end, the host Russia defeated Australia 5-0 at the Luzhniki Stadium at home, creating the largest margin of points in the opening game of the World Cup.

However, this has little to do with the Chinese team, they just need to remember to give their best in the next three group games.

The end of the opening match means that the 21st FIFA World Cup in 2018 has officially kicked off, and the gluttonous feast that fans around the world have been waiting for for four years will be in full swing, and fans around the world will release their passion for the fans they support.