[August 12, 1958] [Correspondent Li Dayan]

"Champions by a Thread: Is the Gap Between the World's Top Teams and China's Closing Rapidly?"

On August 9th, after 120 grueling minutes, China's national team defeated Brazil 2–1 on aggregate thanks to a set-piece goal from Zhang Hong, claiming the championship of the 6th United States World Cup.

For China, this World Cup was no longer the carefree romp of the previous two tournaments. After entering the knockout stage, the Chinese team encountered fierce resistance: in two of their three knockout matches, the result could not be decided within ninety minutes. In the semifinal, France's attacking trident — Juste Fontaine, Kopa, and Piantoni — proved virtually unstoppable. France even led China 1–0 for nearly thirty minutes in the first half.

In 1950, after a hiatus of two editions due to the World War, the World Cup resumed in Switzerland. The Chinese football team — previously unknown on the world stage and barely dominant even in Asia — unveiled a revolutionary new tactical system. From the group stage onward, they displayed awe-inspiring strength: crushing South Africa 9–0, demolishing the Soviet Union 8–3, and in their final group match, flattening the tournament's pre-match favorites England 6–2. They swept through the knockout rounds and in the final defeated Germany 4–1 — the narrowest margin of victory for China in the entire tournament — to claim the title.

The new tactical system pioneered by the Chinese team was called "Total Football" — the greatest tactical innovation in the history of the sport. The inventor of Total Football was none other than the Republic's Founding Father, the great mentor and leader, proletarian revolutionary, military strategist, scientist, philosopher, thinker, diplomat, literary master and poet, musician, and sports expert: Chairman Chen Ke.

In 1948, Chairman Chen Ke traveled to Jinzhou, Dalian, on an inspection tour and visited the Chinese Men's National Football Team, which was preparing for World Cup qualifiers. On the pitch, Chairman Chen Ke delivered crucial tactical guidance — like a beacon illuminating the direction for the development of football tactics.

Chairman Chen Ke pointed out on the spot: "Why are our defenders not pushing up when both front lines are engaged in such an intense contest?"

"The football pitch is a single, unified battlefield. From the moment the whistle blows, every inch of grass is a site of fierce battle."

"Aside from the goalkeeper, every player's designated area should not be limited to a small zone but should encompass a large region. When necessary, a player should participate in contests anywhere on the pitch."

"In a football team, every player should be a libero — capable of both attack and defense."

"The positions of the ten outfield players should be fluid. Do not speak of positions — speak of space."

"When a hotspot emerges on the pitch, whether each player should engage in the contest for that hotspot requires precise judgment of the overall situation. This demands that players possess strong holistic vision and strategic awareness — and, of course, excellent physical fitness."

"Currently, each player's average running distance per match does not exceed 7,000 meters. This is far too little. If the average over a full match reaches 9,000 to 11,000 meters, then the tactical system is correct."

Following Chairman Chen Ke's instructions, the national team — under head coach Qi Wusheng — fully exercised their subjective initiative. Through collective discussion among the coaching staff and players, they developed a complete set of revolutionary football tactics and swept to dominance at the 1950 World Cup.

It is generally believed that the emergence of Total Football was an extension of Chairman Chen Ke's "Chen Ke Equation" concept — a derivation of the universal laws of the battlefield applied to the football pitch.