Stringer Dispatch: Hotter than summer - Beijing football fans ignite CSL blockbuster match

      With afterheat from the "Messi fever," the new Beijing Workers Stadium held a Chinese Super League (CSL) blockbuster match on June 29. After a manager change during the off-season, the home team Beijing Guoan played against the prospective champion Shanghai Port. After 90 minutes, as the whistle blew, with priceless goals from Lyu Wenjun and Mirahmetjan Muzepper, Shanghai was able to "hijack" the victory from Beijing and to restore their four-point lead at the top of the table. During this game, as players entering the pitch, Beijing football fan group "Royal Army" staged a massive TIFO, along with chants, and formed a "lime-green sea" that has drowned the away team. Though Shanghai handed Beijing a brutal reality check that night, the cauldron-like enthusiasm from Beijing football fans has surpassed the unforgiving heat. As stands were fully restored, more professional pitches came into service. The Chinese Super League (CSL), since the beginning of this season, is flourishing in full swing. Every match, cities around the country are packed with football fans, and tickets are nearly impossible to get. In this episode, let us brave the "green storm" from the Beijing north stand, through the lens of our stringer. Stay tuned to CGTN Global Stringer, to find out more about the football (fan) culture in China.