Twenty-five years ago today, the Chinese men's national Asian Games team defeated the host Thai men's football team with a score of 3-0 in the third and fourth finals of the Asian Games and won the bronze medal in the Asian Games. A total of 14 players participated in the championship squad. At 4 p.m. on December 19, 1998, the match was played at the Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla Prefecture, 500 kilometers away from Bangkok, Thailand. At that time, the national football team sent a good mixed lineup, beating Turkmenistan 3-0 in the quarter-finals, but the striker was sent off for spitting and coach Horton was also suspended for one game. In the semi-finals, the national football team lost 0-1 to the Iranian men's football team, resulting in the suspension of the coach and the main striker.
Prior to this, Yuan Weimin, the head of the Chinese sports delegation, issued a nirvana order, requiring the national football team to win the third place. The host Thai men's football team eliminated the favourites South Korea men's football team in the quarter-finals. Before the start of the game, the starting lineup and substitute players of the Chinese national team were: 1-Jiang Jin;17-Li Weifeng, 3-Zhang Enhua, 5-Fan Zhiyi, 4-Sun Jihai;7-Zhao Junzhe (86th minute, 20-Chi Rongliang), 8-Ma Mingyu, 6-Li Tie, 15-Huang Yong (84th minute, 12-Sui Dongliang);10-Yang Chen (46th minute, 13-Wang Peng), 18-Li Jinyu. In the first 15 minutes of the first half, the Thai men's football team took the initiative on the field, but the performance of the final kick was not good, and then the stronger national football team regained the initiative.
In the 25th minute, Fan Zhiyi's angry shot pierced through the wall and broke the net, taking a 1-0 lead for the national football team. In the second half, Yibian fought again, and in the 66th minute, Li Jinyu's split made Wang Peng unguarded, and he cleverly scored to extend the lead for the national football team. In the end, Ma Mingyu's wonderful goal helped the national football team defeat the Thai men's football team 3-0. Twenty-five years later, with memories of the 14 players who won the bronze medal in the Asian Games on behalf of the national football team at that time, let's take a look at what they are doing now. Former national football coach Li Tie was taken away for investigation, setting off a new round of anti-DU sweep storm in Chinese football, and Chi Rongliang (Chi Rongliang), who is rumored to have been taken away for investigation, is currently temporarily released on bail pending trial.
Some of the biggest names in football have been doing the following recently: Fan Zhiyi is currently following his mentor Xu Genbao on Chongming Island in Shanghai, while Sun Jihai travels frequently between Guizhou and Dalian. Wang Peng, meanwhile, has been living in his hometown of Dalian, while the imprisoned Jiang Jin has kept a low profile since his release, recently making an appearance in Beijing. These people are currently working in youth football. Yang Chen served as the coach of the U17 national football team, and has not yet determined the next move. Zhao Junzhe is in charge of the Chinese Super League club Cangzhou Lions, while Ma Mingyu is currently the head coach of Chinese Champions League side Chengdu Yuhui Rende Football Club. As for Li Jinyu, he is currently the coach of Yunnan Yukun, a team in the second division. In addition, Sui Dongliang is the assistant coach of the Chinese Super League team Beijing Guoan.
Huang Yong used to be the coach of Shaanxi Chang'an United, a Chinese championship team, but there is no update after class. And Li Weifeng is currently in a temporary idle state. The most regrettable thing is that on April 29, 2021, Zhang Enhua passed away in Shenzhen due to illness.