For the Chinese national team, if they win this game, they will accumulate 6 points from two wins and two games, and join hands with Uzbekistan to qualify in advance.

Therefore, Cheng Hai, who took the lead in the goal, also seemed very excited and celebrated warmly with his teammates.

Of course, Qatar, which is behind the score, does not look so good.

If they lose this game, they will be out of the group early, just like Kuwait, and the final round of the group stage will turn into a battle of honor.

As a host, this is simply unacceptable.

As a result, the celebration of Cheng Hai and others only lasted for more than 20 seconds, and was protested by the Qatari players, and then the referee came out to intervene, asking them to quickly end the celebration, return to their own half, and let Qatar open the circle ball and continue the game.

In the boos of Qatari fans, Cheng Hai and others happily returned to their half.

After the game restarted, the Chinese team's defensive counterattack was more resolute. Qatar, which was cornered, had no choice but to continue to press on the offensive in a big way.

Qatar, which was cornered, played well, although the offensive efficiency was not as high as Cheng Hai, but it pressed the Chinese team to play, and the number of shots on goal was more, and it was still able to score goals after all.

In the 26th minute, Qatar won a corner kick. After the corner kick was issued, the Qatari players failed to grab the first point and were cleared by Zhao Xuri, the defender of the Chinese team.

As a result, when snatching the second drop point outside the penalty area, the two midfielders of the Chinese team were too active and did not notice their teammates, and the two collided together, and the ball was not solid, but was touched and fell at the feet of the Qatari player next to him.

Originally, after the ball was pushed out of the penalty area, the person who went to grab the second drop point was also his own person, so the players of the Huaguo team ran out one after another, ready to counterattack.

Unexpectedly, two of their own people would collide together and take advantage of the Qataris.

Qatari midfielder Janim, who got the ball, did not hesitate, and directly pushed the pass and sent the ball to the penalty area of the Chinese national team.

Qatari striker Sebastian, who had not yet run out of the penalty area, immediately turned around and ran behind the Chinese team's back line.

Then he successfully received a pass from Janium in the penalty area, and then swept the ball into the far corner of the Chinese team without stopping the ball.

Although Yang Zhi made a save, it was too late. After all, the ball was shot near the penalty spot in the box, too close.

The host Qatar finally scored to make the score 1-1, and the Qatari fans in the stands fell into a sea of revelry, and Sebastian, who scored the goal, ran all the way to the bench on the sidelines, hugged and celebrated with the coaches.

This time, Qatar celebrated for more than half a minute, and the players of the Chinese team did not protest to the referee.

Because, a draw is useless for Qatar, they are still at a disadvantage.

Even if the game is a draw, and the Chinese team loses to Uzbekistan and Qatar wins Kuwait in the last round, and the two teams have 4 points, the goal difference advantage established by the Chinese team in the first game with a 5-0 victory over Kuwait is still very large.

Even if the score is the same, there is a high probability that the Chinese team will advance, not Qatar.

Therefore, the Chinese team does not care about the draw, since Qatar wants to celebrate a little more and waste a little more time, let them waste it!

In the midst of tolerance towards the hosts, the referee has not stepped forward to intervene.

After nearly a minute of celebration, the Qatari players seemed to finally recover from the excitement of the goal, remembering that even if they equalised, the situation was still not in their favour.

They finally finished their celebrations and returned to the court, waiting for the Chinese team to open the middle circle.

After the resumption of the game, Qatar, which was still in an unfavorable situation, still had to continue their aggressive attack, while the Chinese team continued to play defensive counterattacks.

With Cheng Hai on the field, the Huaguo team's defensive counterattack was handy and extremely efficient.

Even if Qatar has paid great attention to Cheng Hai's defense, and even sacrificed tactical foul tricks, taking the initiative to foul and eat cards, it failed to stop Cheng Hai's goal.

In the 34th minute, less than 10 minutes after Qatar's goal, the Chinese team scored again to take the lead.

And this time, it was not Cheng Hai's single goal, but it was Cheng Hai's corner kick created by counterattacking, and then he went into it by himself.

First, his shot from outside the box failed to hit the desired angle due to the interference of the opposing defender, and was saved by the goalkeeper, resulting in a corner.

Then, in the corner kick attack, Cheng Hai used 19's bounce and full value of physique and point-grabbing ability to grab the first landing point in the penalty area, jumped up, and smashed the ball into the Qatar goal with a flick of his head when he won the ball.

Cheng Hai scored a brace to help the Chinese team take the lead again.

Now, it was the turn of the players and fans of the Chinese team to celebrate.

However, Qatar as the host country is indeed very tenacious.

After falling behind again, they were not discouraged and continued to attack aggressively, carrying out their tactics to the end.

Finally, in the 45th minute, when it was already injury time, they took advantage of a throw-in opportunity in front of the field and threw the throw-in directly to the front of the Huaguo team's big penalty area.

Striker Sebastian caught the attention of most of the Chinese players in a header at the front post, but instead of heading the ball in the direction of goal, he flicked the ball back and flicked it to the players behind him.

Qatar's midfielder Ahmed received Sebastian's header on the left side of the arc of the penalty area, and a smash flashed past the Chinese defender before volleying.

The ball was hit at a very awkward angle and went straight to the back post.

Goalkeeper Yang Zhi was blocked by the figure in the penalty area, and the save action was a little slower, and finally the whip was out of reach, and he could only watch the ball go into the net.

Qatar equalised just before the end of the first half, making it 2-2.

This time, instead of celebrating with a bang, the Qatari players, who realised that the draw was not the desired outcome, quickly restarted the game.

However, Qatar's goal was already injury time in itself.

Therefore, after the start of the game, the two sides were still fighting in the midfield, and before they could form a shot, the referee blew the whistle at the end of the first half, and the two sides entered the halftime break with a score of 2-2.

When they came off the field, the faces of the players of the Huaguo team were not very good.

After all, after being equalized by the opponent in the last minute of the first half, and going from lead to draw going into half-time, no one is in a good mood.

But Qatar, who equalised in stoppage time, were not happy because the draw was not good for them, and it was not yet a moment of joy.

After a 15-minute break, the second half continued between the two sides.

Cheng Hai, who recovered his physical fitness with dream training at halftime, startled Qatar at the beginning of the second half, and took advantage of the kick-off in the middle circle to suddenly dribble to the Qatari penalty area.

Because of the full value of speed and dribbling, Matthews feints, Cheng Hai's action of not playing cards according to the routine caught the Qatari players off guard, and Cheng Hai was killed by three people in a row to the front of the big penalty area.

If it weren't for the last central defender Cazorla who made a quick decision and left Cheng Hai outside the penalty area with a flying tackle, I am afraid that Cheng Hai would have been killed into the penalty area to score at the beginning of the second half.

Although Carasso's flying tackle earned him a yellow card, it finally ended Cheng Hai's sudden attack and relieved the Qatari fans in the stands.

Otherwise, if Cheng Hai scored at the beginning of the second half, it would be even more difficult for them.

Next, Qatar seemed to be frightened by Cheng Hai's opening attack, not only the two central defenders, but also a midfielder and a full-back who took turns to stay in turn were too afraid to step forward to participate in the assist, and four people were left in the backfield for a long time to guard against Cheng Hai's counterattack.

However, this approach has led to the lack of Qatar's offensive strength and has not been able to achieve any effective threat offensive.

Moreover, in the case of Qatar's key defense of Cheng Hai, other players of the Chinese team also got counterattack opportunities from other directions.

The Huaguo team is not the only one who will score goals.

In the 58th minute, the Huaguo team played a collective counterattack, Deng Zhuoxiang, Yu Hai, Qu Bo have participated in the counterattack, in the case of Cheng Hai attracted the attention of at least three defenders, Deng Zhuoxiang and others did not go through the sea, and the three played a good pass and cut cooperation, and finally Qu Bo received Deng Zhuoxiang's wonderful pass in the big penalty area, and scored without interference.

Hua Guo scored again to take a 3-2 lead.

At this moment, the Qatari players finally came to their senses and had to attack, and they couldn't attack without attacking.

Next, Qatar replaced a physical fresh force on the field, and then launched a ruinous attack.

Except for the two central defenders who stayed at the back to guard against Cheng Hai's counterattack, everyone else was involved in the attack.

However, they didn't seem to have had the luck of the first half.

No matter how many people participated in the attack, they were never able to break through the goal of the Chinese team, even if Cheng Hai was replaced in the 71st minute, Qatar pressed forward more vigorously and attacked with all their might in the remaining time, but until the end of the game, they failed to break through the goal of the Chinese team again.

Of course, the Huaguo team's offense after Cheng Hai left the field was also a little lacking and failed to score another goal.

Four minutes into stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, and all the Qatari players collapsed to the ground, and the fans covered their faces and cried.

And all the Chinese fans on the scene and in front of the TV set fell into a sea of carnival.

At the scene, the Huaguo CCTV-5 commentator in the commentary seat roared excitedly:

"It's over, it's over!"

"The referee finally blew the whistle for the end of the game!"

"The Chinese team defeated the host Qatar 3-2 in the second group stage and won two consecutive victories in the group stage of the Asian Cup."

"Cheng Hai scored a brace again and became a key factor in the victory of the Chinese team."

"With five goals in two games, Cheng Hai has almost locked up the top scorer in the Asian Cup."

"After the end of this round, the Chinese team and Uzbekistan have won both games and accumulated 6 points, and they have already qualified in advance."

"The hosts, Qatar and Kuwait, both lost both games and accumulated 0 points, and have been eliminated from the group stage in advance."

"The final round of the group stage has become a battle of honor between Qatar and Kuwait."

"As for the Chinese team and Uzbekistan, the Chinese team is temporarily at the top of the standings because of the advantage of goal difference."

"As long as we don't lose in the final round against Uzbekistan, even if it's a draw, we can finish top of the group and occupy a better position in the knockout round."

"However, no matter what the final round looks like, we have already qualified ahead of schedule anyway, so everyone can celebrate to their heart's content!"

Indeed, whether it is the first or second in the group, anyway, it has now qualified ahead of schedule, and all Chinese people can celebrate to their heart's content.

The teammates had an interactive celebration with the overseas Chinese fans watching the game for more than half an hour on the court, and then returned to the locker room to take a shower, change clothes and leave.

Cheng Hai simply thanked the fans, and then went to the post-match press conference with Gao Hongbo.

At the post-match press conference, all the reporters congratulated the Chinese team, and then asked Cheng Hai how he felt about the early qualification of the group and the goal of this Asian Cup.

Reporter: "Cheng Hai, did you expect that this Asian Cup would be able to qualify in advance with two consecutive wins in the first two games of the group stage?" ”

Cheng Hai: "To be honest, I thought of it, but I wasn't sure. Everyone also saw in this game, as the host, Qatar played very hard, and also played at a very high level, the score of 3-2 was a bit of a fluke, we were able to qualify early, there is an element of luck. ”

Reporter: "Do you have any further goals for the Chinese team, which has already qualified for the knockout round in advance in this Asian Cup?" ”

Cheng Hai: "Uh, well, personally, my goal of participating in the Asian Cup, just like the Asian Games, is for the championship!" ”

As soon as this remark came out, it immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

Although Cheng Hai's speech is in line with his identity, status and strength, as a member of the Huaguo team, when did the Huaguo team dare to shout the slogan "for the championship" before the event ended?

In this Asian Cup, the Chinese Football Association's public goal is only the top four.

Even in private, led by Cheng Hai, the Football Association did not dare to aim for the championship.

In fact, after 2004, the situation of Chinese football has deteriorated, and everyone does not dare to shout slogans and set goals randomly, for fear that the results will be too far apart and they will be slapped in the face.

Now, Cheng Hai has publicly shouted out before the group stage has been played, and it is no wonder that it is eye-catching.

Cheng Haike is the captain of the Huaguo team, the first star of the Huaguo, and can still represent the Huaguo team to a certain extent.

Not only were the reporters surprised and excited, but even the head coach Gao Hongbo was caught off guard.

But he couldn't help it.

As a local coach, Gao Hongbo's rights in the national team are actually not as big as the outside world thinks, and many troop arrangements are interfered with by team leaders and assistant coaches.

In the face of Cheng Hai, a superstar who is favored by the Football Association and even the General Administration of Sports, Gao Hongbo is also helpless, so he can only play haha when the reporter asks him, saying that the national football team under his command will work hard towards the goal of the championship.

But I don't dare to be like Cheng Hai, saying that the goal is for the championship, as if not winning the championship proves that this Asian Cup has failed.

After Cheng Hai shouted the slogan of "champion" at the post-match press conference and sent it back to China, it caused a lot of controversy.

On the one hand, because of the historical record and reputation of the national football team, as well as the modest and cautious character of the Chinese people, shouting such a slogan before the group stage is over is a bit arrogant or not suitable in the eyes of many media and fans.

On the other hand, shouting such a slogan too early is also easy to attract the attention of opponents, which is not conducive to the next games of the national football team.

Of course, this view is in the minority.

Because of Cheng Hai's personal achievements, popularity, prestige, and the good results of the national football team's two consecutive wins in the group stage and the early qualification, Cheng Hai's slogan has won the support of many media and fans, and even everyone feels that Cheng Hai is confident and domineering, which is a good thing.

How long has it been since the national football team dared to shout the slogan of the championship like this?

Cheng Hai's words made everyone feel that it was very morale-boosting.

Within the national football team, although everyone did not discuss this topic much, the atmosphere obviously became a little tense, and the relaxed atmosphere that had won two consecutive victories and qualified ahead of schedule became a little urgent.

During the training, everyone became much more serious and motivated.

Seeing such a situation, the coaching staff suddenly felt that Cheng Hai's slogan was not without benefits, at least it could force the players to temporarily put aside the joy of qualifying ahead of schedule and actively devote themselves to the preparation for the knockout round.

Soon, the time came to January 16, and the two group games of the final round started at the same time, Qatar vs Kuwait, and the Chinese team vs Uzbekistan.

Because both teams have already qualified early, in order to leave enough strength to deal with the opponents in the knockout round, the Chinese team and Uzbekistan have carried out a large rotation to allow the main players to recover their fitness.

Of course, Cheng Hai, who is unique in his resilience, is not in the rotation, and he still starts with the captain's armband.

Although most of the players on the field are substitute teammates and are not very familiar with the cooperation, Cheng Hai's personal strength is too strong.

In addition, most of the opponents sent by Uzbekistan are substitutes, and Cheng Hai is more comfortable and handy in such a game.

In the 8th minute, Cheng Hai received a pass from his teammates in the penalty area and used his dribbling skills to shake left and right, and finally successfully deceived the defenders around him to get the opportunity to turn around and shoot and hit the goal successfully, and the ball flew into the lower right corner of the opponent.

In the 29th minute, Cheng Hai grabbed the first point in a corner kick attack on the side of the front field, and hoisted Qu Bo into the penalty area with a free kick into the Uzbekistan goal.

In the 35th minute, Uzbekistan played a good offensive combination, and striker Akhmedov shot from the corner of the penalty area.

Originally, this shot was not very threatening, but it happened to hit the feet of defender Li Weifeng, who wanted to stretch his foot to clear the siege, changed the line to avoid the goalkeeper's save, and flew into the goal of the Huaguo team.

Uzbekistan pulled a point back and the score became 2-1.

However, before the end of the first half, in the 43rd minute, Cheng Hai withdrew from the penalty area to break through in the positional attack, and after attracting the attention of three defenders, he sent the ball to the gap on the right side of the penalty area, and Zhang Linpeng, who was cut into the penalty area from the side, volleyed into the goal.

Cheng Hai assisted Zhang Linpeng to score a goal, expanding the score to 3-1, and the Chinese team led by two goals.

After a 15-minute break at halftime, in the 62nd minute of the second half, Cheng Hai ran out of the gap in the ribs of Uzbekistan's big penalty area through a no-ball run, and then received a pass from teammate Wang Song and scored with a low shot.

Cheng Hai scored a hat-trick and helped the Chinese team expand the score to 4-1, basically sealing the victory in advance.

In the 71st minute, Cheng Hai was replaced by Gao Lin, and Uzbekistan could finally attack with confidence.

They pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute to make it 4-2.

However, this is also the final score.

After three minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, and the Chinese team defeated Uzbekistan 4-2 in the final game of the group stage of the Asian Cup, and advanced to the knockout stage with a record of nine points from three wins in the group stage.