From Wu Jun to Wu Xi: Two Moments of 20 Years Jiangsu Football
November 27th, 1999. Wutaishan Stadium, Nanjing.
It was the second to last round of ’99 Chinese League One-B, the second tier of Chinese profession league. Jiangsu, known as Jiangsu Jiajia(加佳) at that time, after running out of fund mid-year, was hosting its direct relegation competitor, Guangzhou Apollo(太阳神) who dropped from the runner-up of League One-A of 1994 to relegation fight of One-B. If Jiangsu could not beat this former all-star side of southern China, they will have a large chance to go back to League Two in just two years.
Winter arrived in Nanjing earlier that year. It was late November but snow began to fall in this afternoon of the warm and wet city. More than 20000 fans crowded in Wutaishan Stadium, boosted its capacity to 110%, with a bloody slogan: Defend Wutaishan.
The home side struggled to break the balance until 80', when a penalty was awarded.
Captain Wu Jun(吴军) stood in front of the penalty mark. The 28-years-old mid-fielder was born in Suzhou, a Jiangsu city that was famous for its ancient gardens and fast-growing economic. He was produced from Jiangsu youth academy. Being the first generation of Chinese professional football player, he, together with Jiangsu team, played all 3 tiers of the league in just 4 years, unfortunately, in a reversed order.
The snow was heavy and it’s getting hard to see the details from the white pitch. Wu Jun started to take the penalty kick … GOAL! Judging from the noise, it was absolutely the happiest moment of Wutaishan Stadium, built in 1950s.
Jiangsu Jiajia 1, Guangzhou Apollo 0. Both sides survived in League One, but more importantly, football survived in Jiangsu in that snowy afternoon.
November 12th, 2020. Olympic Sports Centre, Suzhou.
It was 97' of the final match of CSL2020, Jiangsu Suning versus Guangzhou Evergrand. The ball is kicked out by Luo Jing, from the blue side. The atmosphere was tight as everyone has been waiting for the final whistle after 7 minutes into the injury time.
Due to COVID-2019, the Super League was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu, the home city of Jiangsu’s legendary captain Wu Jun who retired in 2001. And for the first time, CSL is using a knock-out system to generate the final champion. Guangzhou Evergrand, which was renamed from 1999’s Guangzhou Apollo, claimed 8 titles out of last 9 years, entered the final without a suspense.
The red side did a throw-in. Santini cleared the ball with a header immediatly before Huang Bowen could control it. Captain Wu Xi took the ball move into the left flank. The red defender made tackle attempt but Wu Xi was too fast.
Wu Xi used his remaining energy to dribble the ball into deep safety area, without noticing the red side has given up. The final whistle was blowing. Jiangsu Suning successfully secured their 2–1 lead to the end.
21 years after Wu Jun’s penalty decider, Wu Xi becomes the another captain of Jiangsu’s historical moment. Joined Jiangsu from Shanghai Shenhua in 2013, he was the most remarkable transfer made in the club’s history. And this time, he is not celebrate for relegation struggle of 2nd-tier league, but the championship of top-flight, Chinese Super League, which previous generations spent all their career to be able to play.
Jiangsu football, going all the way from 1994 to 2020, being the founding member of Chinese professional football that down to the third tier in just 4 years and climbed back with another 11 years, has became the 9th winner of the league.
From Wu Jun to Wu Xi, are you still on the stadium stand or in front of the TV?
