北京时间3月27日，2026国际足联系列赛澳大利亚站首场比赛，中国队在悉尼迎战首次打入世界杯的库拉索，凭借韦世豪和张玉宁上下半场各一个进球，中国队2比0取得胜利。

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    Yin Yunzhen introduces to Sakolsky the harvest from the once-barren wasteland. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
On Monday afternoon, American teacher Ronald Sakolsky visited the homeland of Chinese desert fighter Yin Yuzhen in Uxin Banner of Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. This was a place the American man had visited in 2000 and it has completely changed since then.
In 1999, Sakolsky, a teacher in a China-US education exchange program, was touched by a report on Yin and her husband's afforestation efforts in the harsh wilderness of Mu Us Desert, and raised $5,000 to support her green cause. During that visit, they took pictures - in front of the sunken pit where the Yin couple once resided and in the barren land with a finger-thin sapling they had just planted against a backdrop of dust and bare earth.
What has the $5,000 changed? 
On Monday, they came to the Sakolsky forest - a permanent tribute honoring Sakolsky's early contribution to the region's ecological revival - and replicated the vintage pictures, standing in front of a pit that has long been abandoned and beside a newly planted sapling. This time, however, there are bushes and trees in the background. 
This contrast not only witnessed their friendship across time and the Pacific Ocean, but also showcased a promise Yin has kept for 27 years and a green dream that has been made possible through generations of joint unwavering efforts from Yin, her husband and countless other sand fighters. 
Homecoming with family cooking 

Yin hosted Sakolsky on Monday at her home,  filling the air with the aroma of home-cooked meals during their long-awaited reunion. Watermelons were served along with other fresh fruits and vegetables, all harvested locally. Yin told the Global Times earlier that she learned the English word "more" to persuade him to eat more.  
In 1999, Yin had few options for showing her hospitality, so she cooked a bowl of plain noodles for Sakolsky. Now, the harsh wasteland has transformed into a vibrant green oasis, thanks to unwavering afforestation efforts.
In the courtyard, the Global Times reporter saw Yin grinning from ear to ear with pride as she introduced the produce from the farmland - green pepper longer than a palm, a bottle gourd even bigger than Yin's head, and bags of foxtail millet packaged with the assistance of Yin's grandchildren, who are proud of the family's generations of commitment to green causes.    
During a tour of Yin's home, Sakolsky was impressed by the beautiful house with its green courtyard, saying "You deserve every centimeter of this house." Throughout the visit, he repeatedly praised Yin's hands, which the desert fighter and model worker used to change both the land and her own life through arduous work. 
The $5,000 Sakolsky donated in 1999 was equivalent to three years' income for Yin's entire family at the time. Today, that money has grown into more than 50,000 trees.
But Yin's journey did not stop there. Over the following decades, with the support of China's growing ecological restoration policies — including subsidies for afforestation and compensation for forest managers — she transformed the barren land into a productive family forest farm. Her success has inspired many others in the region to take up tree planting and sand control, transforming what was once a desperate struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
From the sandy hollow where the Yin couple lived in in 1985 and the earth hut they resided in until 1993, to the solid brick house Sakolsky saw when he last visited, and the two-story house the big family now lives in, the change in living environment is a clear example of ecological dividends.  
Uxin Banner lies in the heartland of the Mu Us Desert. The desertification rate was over 90 percent in the 1950s and forestation coverage was merely 7.2 percent as of 1980. Now, the forestation rate has increased to 33 percent, while plantation coverage has expanded to 85 percent, per official data. 
    Sakolsky and Yin enjoy watermelons and other fruits at Yin's home. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT
Carry on the greenness, kindness 
This miracle would have been impossible without numerous people like Yin, long-term systematic planning and scientific governance. 
Chen Ziliang, an expert from the local forestry and grassland bureau, said that Mu Us Desert's sand‑control journey has evolved from collective afforestation to contract desert‑reclamation, moving beyond the simple goal of "keeping trees alive" to restoring vegetation based on water‑resource conditions.  
Putting the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" into practice, Uxin Banner no longer views "greenness" and "growth" as an either‑or proposition. On restored sandy lands, the under‑forest economy, eco‑agriculture and eco‑tourism have flourished. Sand‑fixing shrubs are now processed into animal feed and biomass fuel, and local authorities are exploring photovoltaic‑powered desert control, the Global Times learned. 
Sand control is no longer just about keeping sand away; it's a development approach that guarantees a greener and better living environment alongside a booming economy and increasing incomes. 
On Monday afternoon, when Sakolsky finally stepped into the forest named after him, this American teacher witnessed the Chinese woman's perseverance and commitment to her promises. The $5,000 donated without expectations has grown into a thriving forest of around 50,000 trees. 
"A promise is a promise. Ms. Yin fulfilled her promise," Sakolsky said. After 27 years, the wasteland is green, and Sakolsky and Yin are "brother and sister." 
"This is the answer to how we guide young people: We must teach them love and perseverance. We need to show young people photos of Ms. Yin planting trees, digging the soil with her bare hands," Sakolsky remarked while packing a jar of sand. He said he planned to bring it back to the US, telling his grandchildren it is not just a jar of sand, but "a jar of love."   
Sakolsky told the Global Times earlier that the younger generation only knows about the dust-covered landscape from photos and stories of the elderly. It is important to tell them how the greenness is achieved, and how every single person can contribute to making an extensive forest in the harshest environment. 
"I see where China and America can work together. I see it, so I will not quit. She [Yin] never quit. 'Quit' is not in her vocabulary," Sakolsky said with emotion on Monday. 
"Chinese and Americans can be family. We can get over the differences if we focus on the similarities... If we focus on our similarities and not our differences, we can solve the problems."
At the end of Monday's schedule, Yin and Sakolsky planted another sapling together, just as they did about three decades ago, but in a completely different landscape. 
This new sapling carries on the story of not only greenness through generations of joint efforts, but also kindness across the Pacific Ocean. 
。本场比赛是邵佳一上任国足主帅后的第一场正式比赛，国足前往澳大利亚的26人大名单中包括10名23岁以下球员，其中杨希、刘浩帆、徐彬和王钰栋四人本场比赛首发出场，邵佳一首发阵容安排了常规的4-2-3-1体系，门将颜骏凌，四后卫杨希、朱辰杰、刘浩帆、刘洋，双后腰徐彬、王上源，三名攻击型前卫谢文能、韦世豪、王钰栋，单前锋张玉宁。

C | 在中超前三轮比赛中，国足攻击线上四名球员状态火热，其中谢文能打入2球，韦世豪打入1球，王钰栋和张玉宁各打入3球，两人也在射手榜并列第一位。而本场比赛是杨希、徐彬国家队首秀，由于四名U23国脚的首发，国足首发平均年龄下降到26.2岁，远低于对手的29.8岁。

D | 而库拉索球员身价估值远超国足，他们阵容中15人曾代表荷兰青年队出战。球队超过70%球员效力于欧洲联赛，其中荷甲8人、英冠3人、土超2人，整体身价估值约2800万欧元，虽然最大牌的华裔球员陈达毅未能首发，但首发身价估值依然达到1290万欧元，正好是国足身价估值645万欧元的两倍。上半场开始后国足进入状态更快，连续创造出角球机会，而库拉索险些抓住了中国队角球进攻的转换，第10分钟库拉索封堵了国足角球进攻的远射机会，随即创造出3打1的反击机会，得亏王上源在中线成功预判了对方的传球路线断下皮球。僵持阶段王钰栋和徐彬先后因为防守中的犯规吃到黄牌，上半场伤停补时阶段国足打破僵局，颜骏凌长传打到前场，张玉宁头球后蹭，韦世豪前插左脚凌空斜射远角破门，半场国足1比0领先。这是国足上半场第一次有效射门，技术统计显示国足上半场6次射门1次射正，而对手3次射门零射正。控球率方面库拉索63%对37%遥遥领先。

E | 下半场刚开始邵佳一用拜合拉木换下上半场尾声阶段对抗中受伤的谢文能，而库拉索一口气换上包括陈达毅在内的四名球员，第47分钟韦世豪左路内切后离门30米开外大力远射被对方门将扑出，一分钟后王钰栋左路造成对方禁区内混乱，可惜拜合拉木禁区内停球失误，中国队发动二次进攻，杨希传中，王钰栋禁区内头球射门偏出。

F | 第49分钟，徐彬滑铲对方球员，好在主裁判手下留情并未掏出第二张黄牌。第59分钟，库拉索第一次解围失误给了王钰栋左路低平球传中的机会，随后禁区中路防守球员再次解围失误把球直接给了张玉宁，张玉宁左脚推射破门将比分扩大为2比0。此后中国队连换三人，程进、黄嘉辉对位换下王上源、徐彬，胡荷韬对位换下刘洋；第77分钟，刘诚宇、蒯纪闻、林良铭对位换下张玉宁、韦世豪、王钰栋，中国队中前场更换了完全不同的首发组合，更多年轻球员在本场比赛得到了出场机会。最终中国队2比0获胜。