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Auckland City midfielder Tong Zhou, 35, had a meltdown during the Club World Cup match against Benfica.
In first-half stoppage time, Zhou suffered a head injury in a challenge. He received medical attention from Auckland City's doctors and was led off the field.
When told he couldn't continue playing, Zhou erupted. With tears in his eyes, he angrily gestured and yelled at the medical staff, refusing to leave the pitch.
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Auckland City star stuns coach
According to reports from GSP, the Chinese player yelled and gestured angrily at the New Zealand team's medical staff.
The scene lasted for over a minute on the sidelines. Fans in the stands were stunned, witnessing Zhou's desperate pleas to remain on the field displayed on the stadium's big screen.
Auckland City coach Ivan Vuksich was also taken aback by his player's reaction and appeared bewildered. Zhou likely didn't want to miss a rare opportunity to play against a top club. He only featured for a few minutes in the second half against Bayern Munich in their opening Club World Cup group stage match.
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Seconds after the sideline outburst, Zhou returned to the pitch for the final moments of the half. After Benfica dominated the first 45+ minutes without scoring, they finally broke the deadlock. Di Maria converted a penalty in the 45+8th minute, just before halftime.
Auckland City is Zhou's first club outside his native China. He previously played for several Chinese teams: DL Aerbin, Delian Professional Reserve, Tianjin Teda, Wuhan Zall, and Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.
He joined the New Zealand champions, who qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup, in February 2023. Zhou is one of Auckland City's few professional players and is valued at €100,000 on Transfermarkt.
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