Beijing chases 1st league title before sell-out crowd

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By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-30 09:40

Tian Zhao forgot all about her fatigue when she became the first fan to buy tickets for Beijing Guoan's title-deciding match tomorrow.

Beijing chases 1st league title before sell-out crowd

Fans wait for the opening of the ticket office for the last-round match between Beijing Guo'an and Zhejiang Greentown yesterday. [China Daily]

Tian had been waiting outside the Beijing Workers' Stadium for two days before the arena's office opened its doors at 9 am to sell the tickets for the last-round Chinese Super League match between Beijing Guo'an and Zhejiang Greentown.

Beijing will claim their first league title if they win the match. The team, with 48 points, leads Henan on goal difference by five. Henan play 12th-placed Shenzhen. Changchun are lurking in third with 47 points and face bottom side Chongqinq while Shandong are fourth and within title range with 45 points and meet 10th-placed Chengdu.

"I'm so excited. It's been a long time and it's tiring to wait for more than 48 hours," said Tian. "But now, I have forgotten all the fatigue.

"Beijing Guo'an have never been so close to winning the league title. We cannot miss the chance to witness the breakthrough."

There were an estimated 10,000 fans waiting when the ticket office opened and all tickets available were sold out in four hours.

Thousands of fans also rushed to buy Guo'an's green shirts in a nearby adidas store.

"I have not seen such crazy scenes in many years," said Guo Tao, a student from Tsinghua University. "I'm sure Saturday's match is the most important one in Guo'an's league history."

Similar scenes were seen in the 1990s when Guo'an were title contenders every year.

Almost all the tickets were sold out in those days as Guo'an boasted an unbeaten run at the Workers' Stadium for two seasons (15 wins and nine draws at home in 1997 and 1998).

"Guo'an dropped away from the title chase after their prime but they have been rising in the past two years after buying some good players," said Guo. "I am sleepless these days and cannot wait for the match."

However, club president Luo Ning is trying to keep a lid on the fans' fervor.

"I'm not optimistic," said Luo. "We are not the champions yet and Zhejiang are at the edge of the cliff. They will fight until the end and we have to be mentally and physically prepared for an extremely tough match."

Luo also urged his players to try and deflect the pressure on Saturday.

"We should be relaxed and composed before the match. During the match, we must hold on and keep focused," he said.