Download
China's ace striker Wu Lei: 3-1 win over Syria is the best game
CGTN
Wu Lei (#7) of China celebrates after scoring a penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

Wu Lei (#7) of China celebrates after scoring a penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

Wu Lei, ace striker of the Chinese men's national football team, gave an interview with Tencent Sports after China made the next stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) with four straight wins in their last four games.

Wu scored four goals and three assists in four games, making significant contributions to China's victories.

"I think there have been too many reports about and too much praise for me recently," said Wu. "I hope we can tell the story of the whole national team. I definitely want to help the team coming back from Spain. My teammates helped me a lot too. Everyone knows that we have gone through a lot of difficulties in the previous games. The credit of making the next stage belongs to the whole team, not anyone particularly."

Wu Lei (#7) of China drives with the ball in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

Wu Lei (#7) of China drives with the ball in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

According to Wu, though he only joined the national team before the last four games, he stayed in touch with his teammates and manager all the time. He said he could feel the team's atmosphere even when he was not in China. Therefore, Wu said he always believed in the team.

"Our goal has always been four straight wins. Our group manager never requested us to do so but we players all want to enter the next stage winning the last four games."

Back in November 2019, China lost to Syria on the road. Wu played in that game and he was very frustrated at the result because he knew Syria were no better than China.

On June 15, China defeated Syria 3-1. Wu scored a penalty for the team. "I think we performed the best in this game, especially when we were in total advantage in the first half. Managers gave us a lot of confidence. We studied all of their plays. We were much better prepared than them for the game."

Wu Lei (#7) of China shoots a penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

Wu Lei (#7) of China shoots a penalty in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC, Asian Football Confederation) game against Syria in the Philippines, June 15, 2021. /CFP

China recruited five naturalized players for the four games. Wu believed that they were helpful to the team because each of them had something others didn't. He used to be teammates with Ai Kesen when they were teammates in the Shanghai SIPG and had great coordination on the field.

As the only Chinese player in a European club, Wu said his only dream is to help China make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"The latest dream is to go to the World Cup. I will be 31 in 2022. That's my biggest dream."

Search Trends