中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
Tian Zhao forgot all about her fatigue when she became the first fan to buy tickets for Beijing Guo’an's title-deciding match tomorrow.
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. 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. "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).
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
Questions:
1. What team is in third place?
2. What color are Guo’an’s team shirts?
3. When did Guo’an have an unbeaten run?
Answers:
1. Changchun.
2. Green.
3. In 1997 and 1998.
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.
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