CCTV witnessed! The Chinese national football team’s superstition: the third time starting simultaneously with Manchester City, the previous two times Manchester City lost and China advanced.

At 11 PM Beijing time on January 24, Chinese football has a big match as the men’s team reaches a final for the first time in 22 years. The previous occasion was the 2004 Asian Cup final, where China lost 1-3 to Japan, with Japan’s second goal coming from a handball, which made China’s loss feel unjust. This time, the China U23 team is once again competing against Japan for the title. The U23 Asian Cup final will be held at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, and CCTV5 will broadcast the match live. Everyone, stay tuned to cheer for China U23!

Fans have even discovered a superstition linked to China U23’s victories. The previous two knockout matches started simultaneously with Manchester City’s games. The result? China U23 advanced both times, while Manchester City lost both matches.

During this period, China U23 eliminated Uzbekistan to reach the U23 Asian Cup semifinals, then defeated Vietnam to reach the final. Meanwhile, Manchester City lost 0-2 to Manchester United in the Premier League derby, and later suffered a shocking 1-3 defeat to the underdog club Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.

At 11 PM tonight, China U23 will face Japan for the championship, while Manchester City will play against Wolves in the Premier League at the same time. Many fans joked that for China to win, the Blue Moon must be sacrificed. Interestingly, Wolves are the only Chinese-invested club among the top five leagues. Let’s cheer for both China and Wolves! Perhaps the ultimate explanation for everything is superstition, and for China’s sake, Manchester City must be “sacrificed”…