Mr Rong said, "The mood had changed. I remember somebody shouting encouragement to the Hong Kong team."

Yu Dawei said, "We reporters were also surprised. We'd been backstage at half time, talking to the players. They believed they were going to win. And yet, the reality was the opposite. Some fans even turned coat and started supporting Hong Kong."

With 3 minutes to go, China won a free kick, just outside the penalty area.

But a Hong Kong player was lying on the pitch, apparently injured, and refused to move. Li Hui tried to pull him off. This angered the Hong Kong players, and things started to turn ugly.

Li Huajun said, "He was time-wasting; the match was almost over."

Qi Wusheng said, "Hong Kong were using gamesmanship, but it wasn't against the rules."

Li Huajun said, "We were anxious; all of us were anxious. He was simply wasting time."

When the whistle was blown, we headed straight for the dressing-room, under a cloud of depression. The stadium was suddenly silent.

Mr Rong said, "Everyone was stunned. The match was really over."

Yu Dawei said, "Our minds went blank, and the fans just looked at one another, totally at a loss."

Qi Wusheng said, "The fans had plunged from soaring enthusiasm into shocked silence; you could almost imagine what would follow."

Li Huajun said, "They became suddenly angry."

Li Dawei said, "Some were cursing and some were throwing things."

Outside the Workers Stadium, some outraged fans set fire to a car, and hurled abuse at innocent foreigners. The TV series Football Revelation recorded everything that happened, both inside the stadium and outside.

Li Huajun said, "There was the sound of breaking glass, you know. Then the shouting began."

Yu Dawei said, "They started making their way out, shouting insults at the foreigners to vent their anger."

Li Huajun said, "We stayed in the dressing-room for over an hour, but we still couldn't leave. The exit was blocked. So we went to the back exit and were driven out secretly that way. "

Yu Dawei said, "The foreigners had stones thrown at them and were spat at. The situation was out of control. Some fans were scratching cars with stones and even preparing to set fire to them."