blogombal Chapter 28 A Song of Ice and Fire
Chapter 28 A Song of Ice and Fire
Su Maozhen's goal was enough to kill the game.
The score became 3-0, and China was leading by three goals!
Whether it was the Chinese fans at the stadium or the countless fans watching the game on television, it all felt like a dream.
This goal reignited the passion at Miyagi Stadium.
Of course, not the entire stadium was set on fire.
The stadium was effectively divided in two.
Half of it is red, a passionate flame;
These are Chinese fans wearing red clothes, jumping and cheering.
The other half is a blue, tranquil ocean;
These are Japanese fans wearing blue jerseys, heads bowed and silent...
This is A Song of Ice and Fire.
Meanwhile, in the commentary booth, after Huang Jianxiang's passionate shout once again, Zhang Lu began to analyze the Chinese team's tactics:
"This play showcased the traditional strength of our Chinese team: attacking from both wings and seizing opportunities in the middle."
"However, compared to the World Cup qualifiers, this Chinese team under coach Ye Xian has undergone some changes."
"Firstly, during attacks, Su Maozhen isn't the only option in the penalty area to receive the ball; Qu Bo also follows up at the far post, which draws more defensive players away."
"Secondly, Yu Genwei didn't choose to pass directly to the middle, but instead hit the near post;"
"Su Maozhen also used a feint, making a run behind the defense and then heading the ball at the near post. These variations made it much more difficult for the Japanese team to defend!"
"So, this seemingly simple cross from the wing actually contains a lot of tricks! It was definitely practiced repeatedly before the match."
"Coach Ye Xian is truly amazing! Just how many tactics does he have up his sleeve?"
At this moment, Troussier, sitting next to the Japanese team's coaching bench, could only stare blankly at the Chinese players who were celebrating.
At this point, he had no other choice.
With less than half an hour left in the game, and the team trailing 0-3, what other options did he have?
We have no choice but to go all out and attack with all our might!
Soon, Troussier arrived at the sidelines with three substitute players.
Three for three!
Forwards Akira Nishizawa and Masashi Nakayama, as well as naturalized player Mitsuo from Brazil, were all substituted onto the field.
The players substituted off the field are Kazuyuki Toda, Tomokazu Myojin, and Shinji Ono, who had a poor performance today.
This means the Japanese team fielded four forwards, plus four attacking midfielders – they were really going all out.
Ye Xian responded quickly.
He directly replaced two people.
Yu Genwei and Qu Bo were replaced by Gao Yao and Ma Mingyu.
With two forwards removed and two midfielders brought on, the Chinese team's formation naturally changed to a 4-5-1.
When the Chinese team roster for this World Cup was announced, Gao Yao was the most controversial.
Because most people believe that Li Ming is more deserving of the selection than him.
Ye Xian also agreed with this view.
The main problem is that Gao Yao does have obvious weaknesses. He lacks offensive capabilities and is relatively slow. His ability to turn around and chase back is like an aircraft carrier turning around.
However, he also has his advantages, namely his tall and strong physique, fierce frontal defense, decisive tackles, and his best skills in close pressing and head-on confrontations.
You could say he's a "lower-spec version of Li Tie," a midfield meat grinder who specializes in doing the dirty work.
Today we already have better options on the field, such as Li Tie, Zhao Junzhe and Yang Pu, and Gao Yao was not going to be able to play anyway.
But now Ye Xian has sent him onto the field as well!
This is clearly an attempt to use an even more aggressive defense to completely disrupt the Japanese team's passing and control!
When Ma Mingyu came on, he was positioned as an attacking midfielder in front of the four defensive midfielders, responsible for supplying ammunition to Su Maozhen up front.
We still need a skilled player on the field!
Moreover, despite not being particularly strong, Ma Mingyu is a diligent runner with a stable mindset during major competitions and strong leadership skills, which helps to maintain morale on the field.
Even with a three-goal lead, you need to keep the players on the field calm and prevent them from getting carried away!
In such a high-level match, if the situation is not controlled, several goals can be conceded in a matter of minutes.
Chinese football has experienced the so-called "black three minutes" more than once...
Soon, both sides had completed their substitutions.
Then Troussier discovered that his desperate substitution had been completely countered by Ye Xian.
Even with a technically gifted midfield trio of Hidetoshi Nakata, Junichi Inamoto, and Mitsuhiro Santos, plus four forwards with distinct characteristics, their performance was disastrous against the Chinese team's "unruly and irrational" style of play.
In particular, world-class star Hidetoshi Nakata has completely lost his brilliance from his time in Serie A, and is restricted in every way, making his game increasingly frustrating.
Moreover, the Chinese team did not completely retreat into a defensive posture.
After the Chinese team intercepts the ball, they quickly pass it to Ma Mingyu, who then continuously supplies ammunition to Su Maozhen, who remains in the attacking third.
If passing the ball is difficult, Ma Mingyu will dribble directly to the edge of the penalty area and unleash a long-range shot to threaten the Japanese goal.
This also prevented the Japanese team from going all out, as they still had to guard against a sudden attack from the Chinese team.
Time ticked by, and the Japanese team became increasingly impatient.
In the 85th minute, the Chinese team was awarded a corner kick.
Ma Mingyu took the corner kick, while several tall players, including Su Maozhen, Li Weifeng, and Du Wei, stood in the penalty area.
The Japanese team was on high alert.
However, just as Collina blew his whistle to signal Ma Mingyu that he could take the ball, another rapid whistle interrupted the game.
It turns out a conflict broke out in the penalty area!
Hidetoshi Nakata kept pestering Li Weifeng, but after Li Weifeng left him a step behind, the arrogant star player lost his temper and shoved Li Weifeng hard.
Li Weifeng also has a fiery temper!
He didn't care about any sports stars or anything like that; he simply grabbed Hidetoshi Nakata by the neck.
The penalty area suddenly became lively, with everyone crowding around, looking ready to fight.
Collina rushed over, whistling, then glared at them and pulled them apart: "What are you doing? What are you doing?!"
Hidetoshi Nakata was still staring at Li Weifeng when Collina glared at him fiercely: "What are you looking at?"
Hidetoshi Nakata swallowed hard and took a step back.
Collina looks really fierce; when he glares, he looks like an alien, and everyone is afraid of him.
Hidetoshi Nakata had been defeated by Collina in Serie A, so he certainly wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
Seeing this, Ye Xian from the sidelines shouted, "Da Tou! Da Tou! Calm down! Winning the game is the most important thing!"
With such a large lead, we mustn't afford any unforeseen complications.
Li Weifeng also took a breath, composed himself, and waved to the sidelines to indicate that he had received the message.
He couldn't let Ye Xian down.
Indeed, it would be incredibly stupid to be sent off in such an important match.
Hidetoshi Nakata didn't care, since he was going to be eliminated anyway.
The Chinese team is going to play in the quarterfinals, and Li Weifeng is an absolute key player for the team. If he is absent, it will be a huge loss.
Fortunately, the conflict wasn't too serious, and Collina ultimately just gave each person a yellow card to settle the matter.
Both sides deserve a severe punishment!
The corner kick was taken, and Li Weifeng headed the ball, but it went over the crossbar.
finally.
As Collina blew the final whistle twice and once long, the entire Miyagi Stadium was ablaze once more!
All the Chinese fans were expressing their passion and excitement to the fullest.
Before they stepped into the stands today, they had no idea that tonight's result would be so outrageous.
3-0!!!
Easily defeated the Japanese team!!!
They've made it to the World Cup quarterfinals!!!
Is it appropriate to mention these sentences together with the Chinese team?
The Chinese players on the field were equally ecstatic, and the substitutes had already rushed onto the field to celebrate wildly with the players.
Then, one coach after another was tossed into the air: Milutinovic, Ye Xian...
The players all knew that the coaching staff deserved the most credit for winning this game so decisively.
The opponent's tactics and personnel arrangements had been thoroughly analyzed by the coaching staff before the match and were completely countered, which is why the players were able to play so comfortably on the field.
Team veteran Fan Zhiyi, who has been forced to watch from the sidelines due to injury, kept repeating:
"Amazing, amazing, truly amazing..."