Chapter 620
, Part 20: Violent Aesthetics Stuns the Japanese Team!
Conceding a goal so early completely disrupted the Japanese team's plans.
In the plan of Japan's head coach Takeshi Okada, Japan was originally supposed to take advantage of their home field to score first, and then take advantage of the opponent's need to attack when they were behind and eager to equalize, and use a fast counter-attack tactic to kill the game!
Unexpectedly, the plot took a completely different turn than he had imagined.
The Japanese team not only failed to score, but also conceded a goal to their opponents.
Now, his pre-match tactical plan has almost completely failed.
Not only could the Japanese team not lure the enemy out, they also had to venture into the lion's den of the Chinese team themselves.
Just from that counter-attack by the Chinese team, you can see how strong their counter-attacking ability is.
Asking them to take such a huge risk to attack a team that excels at counter-attacks...
Takeshi Okada couldn't help but feel uneasy; he was genuinely afraid that the disastrous accident from the previous defeat would be repeated on his own doorstep.
"Oh dear, what a loss!"
On the Chinese team's coaching side, Zhu Guanghu didn't have the same worries as his Japanese counterparts.
But when he saw that the first goal came from a counter-attack, he slapped his thigh and realized he had been foolish.
They knew perfectly well that the Japanese team would go all out in this match and would definitely launch a fierce attack on the Chinese team.
Why didn't I arrange for Yu Hai and Qu Bo, who are faster, to fight?
With their speed on the flanks, plus Lin Feng's excellent passing ability, wouldn't the Chinese team's counter-attacks be incredibly accurate?
Unfortunately, he didn't recruit either of them!
That was a huge miscalculation!
After conceding a goal, the Japanese team was in disarray for a while, but as a former Asian powerhouse, they quickly regained their composure.
Under Takeshi Okada's command, the Japanese team began to strengthen high pressing and transitions between offense and defense, while also emphasizing overall defensive cohesion, reducing the risk of the defensive line facing the opponent's attack directly through the cooperation and covering of players in different positions.
This adjustment had some effect, and since the Chinese team did not launch a major attack after scoring, the Japanese team regained control of the game.
But simply having possession of the ball was useless. China's defense was very tight, especially their midfield interception. Japan's plan to rely on the technical advantage of their midfielders to create short-pass penetration in the attacking third completely failed.
Japanese midfielders such as Yasuhito Endo, Shunsuke Nakamura, and Makoto Hasebe, who shone in previous World Cup qualifiers, seemed somewhat helpless when facing China's midfield trio.
Getting past Lin Feng alone will not be easy. Although Lin Feng is known for his attacking prowess, his defensive skills are by no means weak. Otherwise, he would not have been able to play as a defensive midfielder for Real Madrid so many times and become the anchor of Mourinho's tactical system.
Lin Feng's physical strength, running ability, and coverage range are simply phenomenal in Asia.
Let alone the midfielders of the Japanese team, even the top midfielders of the five major leagues can hardly gain an advantage against Lin Feng.
In just a short while, several midfielders of the Japanese team were knocked down by Lin Feng.
The Japanese fans at the scene were in an uproar. Endo Yasuhito, Nakamura Shunsuke, and Hasebe Makoto were already considered to be among the tallest players in Japan.
Moreover, they have never suffered such a great loss in physical confrontations when facing other Asian teams in the past. Even when they encountered a team like Australia, which is composed of white people, they were able to put up a fight.
However, these people were like mice encountering a cat in front of Lin Feng, completely restrained and unable to put up a single blow.
This scene was so shocking that it left a deep impression on many Japanese fans, especially young fans.
The midfield struggles significantly hampered Japan's attacking efficiency.
It wasn't until the 14th minute that Shunsuke Nakamura passed the ball to Atsuto Uchida, who had made a run down the right flank. Uchida then crossed the ball to Shinji Okazaki, who was making a run into the middle, and Japan finally had another chance to shoot.
However, under pressure from the defenders, Shinji Okazaki's hasty shot was too straight and went directly into the goalkeeper's arms.
The shooting opportunities that the Japanese team managed to create did not pose much of a threat to the Chinese team's goal.
Although the Japanese fans at the stadium continued to cheer, they were beginning to feel uneasy.
Could we possibly lose to the Chinese team at home?
Their concerns were not unfounded. In the 16th minute, the Chinese team launched an attack from the right flank.
After Lin Feng passed the ball to the wing, Hao Junmin delivered a low cross from the right side of the goal. Gao Lin's shot from 6 yards out sent all the Japanese players into a cold sweat!
Although the ball was ultimately saved by the Japanese goalkeeper, the Chinese team's attack was clearly more threatening than their previous one.
Moreover, this was just a casual counterattack by the Chinese team; similar opportunities abounded when the Japanese team launched a full-scale attack.
They managed to defend against it this time, but can they do it again next time?
One minute later, the Chinese team wasted another excellent scoring opportunity.
Lin Feng delivered a cross from the 45-degree angle in the attacking third, and Han Peng outjumped Nakazawa Yuji to head the ball into the penalty area, but unfortunately it went just wide of the goal.
After adapting to their opponent's style of play, the Chinese team gradually took control of the game and began to besiege the Japanese team's goal.
The unease in the hearts of Japanese fans had now turned into fear.
They were terrified that if the Chinese team scored another goal, it would completely kill the suspense of the game!
The Japanese players on the field were even more worried than the Chinese players. They abandoned their attacks and retreated to their own half, trying to hold out for the Chinese team's offensive rounds.
The Japanese team has good footwork, but their physical strength is clearly inferior to that of the Chinese team, especially the national team players who have experienced the top five European leagues, who firmly hold the upper hand in their confrontations with the Japanese team.
The disadvantage in physical confrontation forced the Japanese team to adopt a defensive tactic of fouling to limit the Chinese team's offense.
But they seem to have forgotten that the Chinese team has a world-class free-kick master.
To break the rules in front of him is like lighting a lantern in the toilet – it's practically suicide!
In the 22nd minute, Matsui Daisuke tripped Chen Tao while defending, giving the Chinese team a free kick opportunity in a good position.
The Japanese fans in the stands were just cheering loudly for their players' fouls, but the moment they saw Lin Feng standing at the penalty spot, they panicked instantly.
[Here it comes! Lin Feng's free kick is finally here!]
[In the last match against Japan, Lin Feng scored a free kick. Will he do it again in this game?]
"Don't you know who he is? He's the kind of guy who practically treats free kicks like penalties. What's so surprising about him scoring a free kick?"
[This ball is in a pretty good position. If Lin Feng can score, we'll be leading by two goals!]
The Japanese fans in the stadium were so nervous that their palms were sweating, and even their boos sounded weak. The Japanese players on the bench were all leaning out, craning their necks to look at the field, so nervous that they didn't even dare to breathe.
The Japanese were well aware of the consequences of this goal. If it went in, it would not only kill the game's suspense but also extinguish Japan's hopes of directly qualifying for the World Cup. Perhaps this would be the first time in 12 years that Japan would miss the World Cup!
None of Lin Feng's teammates would contest for the free throws; they automatically gave up the ball and, following the pre-game set-piece tactics, began to cooperate with Lin Feng for the free throws.
The Japanese goalkeeper ignored the Chinese forwards scrambling in the penalty area, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Feng.
Having learned his lesson once, he now had a strong premonition:
The opponent will not choose to pass the ball; they will definitely shoot directly!
It was time to test his reaction speed and save skills. Lin Feng's ball speed was famously fast, so the goalkeeper had very little time to react.
He must predict the trajectory of the ball and make a save in the shortest possible time, otherwise it will be too late.
Moreover, even if you react quickly enough, you might not be able to save the ball.
Because the opponent's free kicks have another characteristic: they are difficult to execute!
Previously, a professional data analyst analyzed Lin Feng's free kick landing points and found that more than half of his shots were aimed directly at the corners of the goal.
To save a shot aimed at a blind spot, the goalkeeper needs to have excellent coverage ability.
Unfortunately, Japan's goalkeeper, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, is not a tall goalkeeper with a long reach; he is only 179 centimeters tall.
At this height, he's definitely on the shorter side for a goalkeeper in the entire football world.
Limited by his own conditions, even a world-class goalkeeper like Casillas, with his extremely fast reaction speed and top-notch goal-line skills, has a headache when it comes to long-range shots, especially those aimed at blind spots. This is even more so for Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu, who is shorter than Casillas and whose other skills are far superior to Casillas'.
Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu was clearly aware of his own shortcomings, which is why he was so nervous.
He was terrified that Lin Feng would exploit his weaknesses!
But what you fear most is what comes to pass.
The referee blew his whistle, and Lin Feng began his run-up.
One step, two steps...
Kawaguchi kept a close eye on Lin Feng's footwork, estimating based on the distance between the opponent and the ball and Lin Feng's pace and rhythm that the opponent might shoot with his right foot, aiming for the top left corner of the goal.
With a sudden impulse, Kawaguchi moved, shifting his feet to the left in preparation to tackle the ball in the upper left corner.
His prediction is likely to be wrong, but at this point, he has no choice but to gamble.
If you want to reach a spot you can't reach, you have to move in advance to close the distance.
With a muffled thud, the ball soared into the sky.
What a great speed!
The Japanese players in the front row felt a gust of wind brush against their scalps. They instinctively turned around and saw the soccer ball grazed their goalkeeper's fingertips before swishing into the net.
Although Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu correctly predicted the direction, he still underestimated the power of Lin Feng's shot. The ball was faster than he expected, and the force was so great that it almost broke his outstretched finger.
An uproar erupted at the scene, and the Japanese fans in the stands stirred up a commotion.
They stared wide-eyed at the bright red numbers on the scoreboard, completely unable to accept that in just 20 minutes, they were already two goals behind the Chinese team.
Lin Feng is awesome!
This is so brutal! It's practically a testament to the beauty of violence!
[Haha, the opposing goalkeeper is almost in tears! He clearly touched the ball, but he still couldn't save it!]
[To be honest, it's really impressive that the Japanese goalkeeper managed to touch the ball. I estimate that the ball was traveling at least 130 kilometers per hour. It's already difficult enough to react to a shot at that speed, let alone actually touch it!]
Yes, if he were just a few centimeters taller, he might actually have had a chance to save the ball!
China's second goal caused a huge sensation in the country, even more so than the first goal.
The first goal came so quickly that many people didn't even have time to turn on their TVs or change the channel before the ball went in, meaning they didn't see the whole thing clearly.
When Lin Feng scored his second goal, the game had been going on for more than 20 minutes. Moreover, thanks to the widening effect of the first goal, a large number of people who don't usually watch football were also attracted to watch.
Not only did everyone see the entire process of the goal clearly, but they also fully appreciated Lin Feng's violent aesthetics through repeated replays on television.
More importantly, there was still a possibility of a comeback after scoring the first goal, so fans were still a little worried.
But after scoring the second goal, the fans felt completely reassured and could celebrate with even more confidence.
……
Is this the world's greatest free-kick master?
Just when his teammates were feeling lost, frustrated, and even giving up, a young Japanese player on the bench had a sudden flash of inspiration after seeing Lin Feng's goal.
It's like finding direction and goals in life:
He must become a world-class midfielder and free-kick master like China's number 8!
"It's over, the game is over, and the Japanese team is finished too!"
The other substitute player sitting next to him muttered to himself, repeating the same sentence in a daze.
Shinji Kagawa looked at the other man with some sympathy. Ever since the East Asian Cup, this guy had been determined to catch up with or even surpass Lin Feng.
But after all these years, still playing in the Dutch second division, the gap between him and his opponent has not only not narrowed, but has widened further.
If I were him, I would probably feel desperate in this situation too!
"Honda-kun, don't be discouraged. The race has only just begun, and there are still more than 70 minutes left. We have plenty of time to catch up!"
Shinji Kagawa's words of comfort were not enough to convince Keisuke Honda. There was still plenty of time, but he couldn't see any way to turn the tide.
The Japanese team was suppressed by their opponents in both offense and defense.
Rather than saying they have seventy minutes to turn the tide, it would be more accurate to say they have seventy minutes to suffer!
If the opposing team can score two goals in the first 20 minutes, who can guarantee they won't score more in the remaining time? (End of Chapter)