(On the evening of October 4th, the fourth round of the “Hunan Super League” (also known as “Xiang Chao”) regular season — the first home match in Huaihua venue — kicked off at the Huaihua Sports Center. The photo shows a cultural performance before the match.)
On the evening of October 4th, the fourth round of the “Hunan Super League” (also known as “Xiang Chao”) regular season — the first home match in Huaihua venue — kicked off at the Huaihua Sports Center. Xu Zhongjian, secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, He Zunqing, deputy secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee, Zhang Lianbiao, deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Sports Bureau, and nearly 15,000 fans at the scene watched this wonderful match.
Prior to the match, local famous cultural troupes as well as teachers and students from schools of Huaihua presented spectacular performances, including The Battle Song for Huaihua in Xiang Chao, Ethnic Rhythms on the Green Pitch, and We Build the Chinese Dream Together.
At the opening ceremony, the “Xiang Chao” league flag, home team flag, and visiting team flag were paraded into the venue, followed by the referees and athletes filing onto the pitch. The entire assembly then rose to sing the national anthem.
(Players from Huaihua and Yiyang teams are in a fierce battle for the ball. Photo / Yang Zhiwei)
At 7:38 p.m., with the sound of the referee’s whistle, the match officially kicked off. Yiyang team scored the first goal in the first half, taking a 1-0 lead. After the break, the lagging Huaihua side adjusted their tactics and launched relentless attacks. Their persistence paid off in stoppage time when they netted their first goal in “Xiang Chao”, securing a dramatic 1-1 draw with a last-gasp equalizer against Yiyang.
In the ensuing 5th to 13th rounds of the “Xiang Chao” regular season, Huaihua Team will play 5 home games and 4 away games. On October 18th, Huaihua Team will face the visiting Yongzhou Team at home. The coaching staff and all players stated that they will carry forward the spirit of tenacious struggle, work to break through themselves, and go all out to play every game well, striving for good results.
Municipal leaders Li Weilin, Li Shuwen, Xiang Rulian, Zeng Wenqian, and Xiao Lixing, along with Chen Wei, vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Football Association, and Mou Xiaofeng, chief executive of Xiangtong Industrial Co., Ltd., were present to watch the match.
（Translated by Yang Sigui）