It’s not like we fought so fiercely with England in the first knockout match and ended up benefiting the Dutch fishermen..."

Ou Yangjin said: "But this time we chose to keep attacking after equalizing the score, but we still didn't win... So what's the point of doing this?"

Xia Xiaoyu looked at Ou Yangjin: "Meaning?"

"Yes." Ou Yangjin nodded and expressed all the doubts in his heart, "I know we are braver this time than four years ago. But if we still lose in the end, won't it show that our bravery is in vain?

It’s meaningless. After all, we are all better, but we still lose. Isn’t it more frustrating?”

Hearing what Ou Yangjin said, Xia Xiaoyu couldn't help laughing: "You...you said that, don't we have to play until the finals and win the championship for it to be meaningful? It's not that easy! This is the World Cup.

I personally understand that we fought with the Dutch team until the end and still wanted to beat them. The significance of this matter is that we defeated ourselves four years ago. This is very important."

"Why is it important?" Ou Yangjin's frowned brows still did not relax.

"It's so important that this is the foundation and core. Without this foundation and core, everything in the future will not be established. Winning or losing depends on luck, Ou Yangjin. In a game, it doesn't mean that you will win if you do your best. But the game

Winning or losing cannot rely solely on luck. If we fail to do even the most basic things and rely purely on luck, then we may only win one game out of a hundred games. But only with this foundation can we talk about victory or defeat.

possible."

As Xia Xiaoyu spoke, he turned around and looked around at his teammates in the cabin.

Some of them were listening to music with headphones on, some were concentrating with their eyes closed, and some were chatting with other people, but they couldn't hear clearly amidst the noise in the cabin.

Even the chat between him and Ou Yangjin was difficult to convey beyond the two rows in front and behind.

"In the last game of the World Cup four years ago, Brother Hu scored three goals. After the game, the referee gave the game ball to Brother Hu. Brother Hu later took it back to the locker room and asked the whole team to sign it. This

The ball will probably be put in the museum that Brother Hu is building. Do you know the name of the game ball?"

Ou Yangjin was stunned for a moment, and then blurted out the answer: "The heart of a champion."

It was the first time that the Chinese team reached the World Cup finals, so he has a particularly deep memory of everything in that World Cup.

"Yes, Champion's Heart. But don't you think this name is a bit ironic?"

"Satire?"

"Well. We obviously still have a little time after equalizing the score. If we include injury time, it's almost ten minutes. But we didn't think about trying harder to defeat the Brazilian team. Everyone is satisfied.

The result of a draw with Brazil ended our first World Cup... Then we also signed a football called 'Champion's Heart'. Don't you think this is ironic? Where do we have a 'championship'?

Heart'?"

Having said this, Xia Xiaoyu laughed to himself.

After laughing, he became serious again and said to Ou Yangjin:

"Now, I can confirm that we truly have this 'championship heart'. With this heart, we can go further and better in the future."

Ou Yangjin looked at Xia Xiaoyu. After hearing this, he seemed stunned and did not speak immediately.

But after a while, he shook his head with a painful expression: "I know you are right, Xiaoyu. But... of course we can continue to go, but if we lose this game and lose this World Cup,

Some people...have no way to move on."

"That's why we have to work harder and continue to move forward for them." Xia Xiaoyu said. "I believe that in four years we will perform better than this time!"

※※※

Even at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the staff of CCTV's documentary filming team are still working.

But everyone knows that this is the final work of the documentary.

They took pictures from the time the team set off until the team returned home.

It can be regarded as having a beginning and an end.

Now the cameraman Cheng Guansheng is pointing the camera lens at Zhang Qinghuan, while the reporter throws questions to Zhang Qinghuan outside the camera and asks him to answer.

"Would it be a pity to lose the game? After all, you will be thirty-four years old in four years..."

"Of course there will be regrets, but it has nothing to do with four years later. Anyone who loses the current World Cup will be very sorry." Zhang Qinghuan shook his head.

"Will the World Cup in China four years from now be your last World Cup?"

"Maybe." Zhang Qinghuan thought for a moment and then nodded, "After all, I will be thirty-eight years old in the next World Cup..."

When he said this, his eyes glanced out of the camera, as if he had seen through time and space.

※※※

"Coming, coming, they are coming!"

A burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the waiting crowd gathered on the airport tarmac.

Everyone raised their heads, built tents with their hands, and looked at the sky.

Then I saw a plane with a special painting appearing in everyone's field of vision.

This plane is the special plane used by all members of the Chinese team.

A month ago, they took this plane from China to Madrid, Spain, to prepare for the World Cup.

A month later, the same plane took them back from Spain.

Even the crew members are the same.

How could the previous Chinese team be able to enjoy such treatment?

Not to mention chartering a private plane, you will be scolded for bringing two extra cooks.

This is entirely because their past performance was so poor that everyone felt they were not worthy of this level of treatment.

Now that my grades are good, everything goes naturally.

People on the ground waiting to welcome the national team waved their national flags after seeing the plane.

I hope it can attract the attention of the international players in the sky.

The national players really noticed.

Through the portholes, they saw the crowd gathered below and the flashing "red dots" - which should be the national flags waving in their hands, shining in the sun.

"So many people came to pick us up..."

"Fuck, this battle..."

"We didn't win the championship either...why is there such a huge crowd?"

Everyone looked at the dense crowd on the ground and murmured to themselves in an incredible tone.

Most of them have not recovered from the sadness and unwillingness to be eliminated, and they do not feel that they are heroes or heroes.

The fans were so enthusiastic that it actually made them feel guilty.

When the documentary photographers saw such a touching scene, there were not many smiles on the faces of the Chinese players.

It is as if a child who scored only sixty points on an exam comes home to a table of meals prepared by his parents with perfect marks.

They are so overwhelmed that they don’t even dare to step into their homes...

※※※

As the fuselage vibrated, the plane landed smoothly on the runway.

Then start taxiing to the designated tarmac area.

The crowds that looked small and dense in the sky became clearer individuals one by one.

Among them are ordinary fans, leaders of the Football Association and the General Administration, media reporters, and airport ground staff.

With smiles and expectations on their faces, each of them saluted the plane approaching them.

The huge fuselage was wrapped around a giant dragon with red scales and golden claws. Directly in front of the dragon's open mouth, there was a burning football at the nose of the aircraft.

This is the special plane for the Chinese National Men’s Football Team’s trip to the World Cup.

When the plane came to a slow stop, the ramp car covered with red carpet approached for docking.

Everyone and the camera were focused on the cabin door.

※※※

Qin Lin stood at the front row of the cabin aisle, holding the stewardess's microphone and saying:

"Cheer up! There are so many people coming to welcome you, don't show off in front of them! The reason why our team exists is because of them!"

Qin Lin waved his hand and pointed out the window.

"I know that many people were unwilling to accept being eliminated at the last moment, and were very unhappy. But now I have to put my emotions aside, reflect and criticize, and wait until we go back to Hongmaple Ridge to do it behind closed doors. Now, laugh,

Don’t let them down!”

His gaze was like a sword, sweeping over them one by one.

Seeing that the gloomy expressions on the faces of the players already waiting in the aisle had subsided, he returned the microphone to the stewardess and said politely: "Thank you."

The flight attendant quickly waved her hand, and after taking the phone, she said eloquently:

"Welcome the Chinese national men's football team back to the motherland. Our flight has arrived safely at the China Capital International Airport. Thank you for your wonderful performance in the World Cup. No matter what the result is, you are the heroes in the hearts of all of us. Thank you! We look forward to it.

See you again in four years!"
To be continued...