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Sun Jihai goal strikes a blow for Chinese football
2002-10-28
LONDON - Manchester City's Sun Jihai has said that his goal at Birmingham City on Saturday, the first by a Chinese player in the English premier league, will delight fans in his homeland.The international defender finished off the best move of the game with a firm header from eight metres to set Kevin Keegan's side on the way to a 2-0 win, their first away victory of the season. "I think the goal has big significance for China's soccer fans -- everyone will feel very happy," the former Crystal Palace player said in an interview with the website Sina.com. "My feeling about the goal at the time was that it wasn't real, that it was a dream. "For a Chinese player, being able to represent my country in one of the top five leagues, and moreover being able to win everyone's recognition and respect, I feel is enough for me. "I'm not saying scoring is that big a deal. Every game, every training session I work hard to gain more trust from my coach, the fans and the club. "It proves a lot to me if I can take part in each game because the competition is very fierce in this team and there are many excellent players in each position. Sun Jihai joined City in March from Chinese club Dalian Wanda following a spell with English first division side Palace. "Coming back to Britain this time I just wanted to see what I could do," added the 25-year-old. "I didn't want to set a very big or clear goal for myself, I just hope I can play 300 games in the English premier league." Reuters
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