Chapter 624
The Final Battle at the Bird's Nest: China's Last Stand!
As the national football team emerged from the arrival gate, the fans gathered in the arrival hall rushed forward excitedly.
The overwhelming roar instantly engulfed the Chinese national football team.
Those who arrive at the airport at two or three in the morning to pick up their loved ones are the most die-hard fans.
The sheer number of these die-hard fans at the event—tens of thousands—is truly astonishing.
"Thank you all for your continued support and concern. Thank you for coming to the airport so late to welcome us. We will definitely do our best in next year's World Cup to help Chinese football achieve a historic breakthrough!"
The fans at the scene were so enthusiastic that Lin Feng and the others felt it would be inappropriate to leave without saying something to them.
"Well said!"
Go China's national football team!
"Go Lin Feng!"
"Next year we will definitely buy tickets to go to the stadium to cheer you on and witness you create miracles!"
Upon hearing the promises made by Lin Feng and others, the fans at the scene erupted in applause and excitement, with some even patting their chests to declare that they would go to the stadium to cheer for the national football team.
Qualifying for the World Cup again has always been the dream of Chinese football fans.
Although the Chinese national football team qualified for the World Cup in 2002, their dismal record of 0 goals, 0 points, and 0 wins was too glaring and too regrettable.
Now, after an eight-year absence, Chinese football has finally returned to the World Cup stage.
The current Chinese team, led by a group of players who have played abroad, is arguably the strongest lineup in the history of Chinese football.
Fans hope the Chinese national football team can make another run and firmly believe they can break China's embarrassing history in the World Cup.
Because the starting point left by our predecessors was too low, the Chinese national football team only needs to take a small step forward to make huge progress!
Therefore, the promise made by Lin Feng and the others is actually not difficult to fulfill.
However, because they were unaware of their group assignment and most of the team members had never participated in the World Cup before, they were unsure of the intensity of the World Cup.
Therefore, they dare not make promises recklessly, because if they cannot fulfill them in the end, it would be a huge embarrassment.
It was nearly 3 a.m., and the national football team players, who had just finished a match, were exhausted. After only a short time in the arrival hall, many of them were already yawning.
The fans who came to pick them up were very kind and considerate. They didn't ask for autographs or photos. Seeing that the national team players looked tired, they didn't bother them anymore. Instead, they made way for them and even escorted them onto the team bus and left the airport.
They slept until noon the next day, when they finally awoke from their hunger.
"The results of the match in Australia have been announced!"
On their way to the cafeteria, the group discussed the result of the other match in Group A.
"Oh? Who won?"
"Of course it's Australia. They beat Bahrain 2-0 at home and secured second place in the group with one game to spare."
"Oh, I see. Then the Japanese team is completely finished!"
"Hehe, good riddance! Who told them to be so useless!"
"This is neither good nor bad news for us. If Australia doesn't beat Bahrain, they will be under pressure to perform in the last match, and they might be too nervous, which could affect their performance..."
"But they might also unleash their full potential due to a strong will to survive, displaying strength far exceeding their normal level!"
"That's why I said it's neither good nor bad news!"
Lin Feng didn't participate in his teammates' discussion, but he overheard the gist of it.
Actually, it's a good thing for the Chinese team if neither team is under pressure to achieve results.
In terms of raw strength, the Australian team may be on par with the Japanese team.
But for the Chinese team, the Australian team is definitely more difficult to deal with than the Japanese team.
Although their footwork is not as solid as the Japanese team's, and their small-scale passing is not as skillful and agile as the Japanese team's, the Australians have the physique!
The Chinese team, or rather the teams of East and Southeast Asia as a whole, are quite afraid of teams that are physically strong, have a high impact and aggressiveness.
Teams like Iran from West Asia have always been a nemesis for the Chinese national football team.
The opponents are physically stronger than the Chinese players, and their playing style is more aggressive and fierce, so the Chinese national team always has a very difficult time when they face them.
Although the Australian team is nothing special among white countries, at best they are third-rate.
But within the small fishpond of Asia, their physique is somewhat unfair.
In the first leg between the two teams, the Chinese national football team, playing away from home, was subjected to a physical and stifling style of play by Australia.
In that match, the Chinese team, with its formidable offensive firepower, was surprisingly shut out by their opponents on the road.
Although this result is related to Zhu's relatively conservative tactics, coupled with the players' poor form.
However, it cannot be denied that the Australians' defense was quite successful.
Having learned from their previous success, the Australians will surely repeat their tactics this time playing away, and may even make more targeted improvements to their existing defensive strategies to limit the Chinese team's attack.
Although this match will not affect the fact that both teams have already qualified, the Australians certainly do not want to lose to China, and they certainly do not want to lose too badly and damage the morale of their players.
With only one year left until the opening match of the World Cup, all the teams that have already secured their World Cup tickets must avoid a crushing defeat that could damage team morale.
So even when arranging friendly matches, they would choose opponents who were weaker than themselves and whom they were confident they could defeat.
Just like during the World Cup in Germany, countries such as France, Brazil, and Switzerland chose the Chinese team as their warm-up opponent.
Are they looking to have a friendly competition with the Chinese team?
That's not necessarily true. They're more likely treating the Chinese team as an easy target, hoping to beat them up to boost their own players' confidence.
……
"Do you have any tickets? Get me a few, I'll go cheer you on at the stadium!"
Before the competition started, Liu Xiang, whom Lin Feng hadn't contacted in a long time, suddenly called and asked for tickets.
"How many tickets do you want? I don't have many tickets left!"
The Bird's Nest Stadium has large enough stands to accommodate 70,000 to 80,000 fans, so there shouldn't be a shortage of tickets.
But there are just too many fans who want to come to the stadium to watch the game, witness and congratulate the Chinese national football team on their return to the World Cup.
On the day tickets went on sale, the ticketing website crashed several times, the hotline was overwhelmed with calls, and even the physical ticket offices were packed like train stations during the Spring Festival travel rush—a sea of people, all fans who had traveled from all over the country specifically to buy tickets. How could anyone miss such a football extravaganza?
Many people missed the miracle of Wulihe Stadium back then, but this time they absolutely have to come to the stadium and see the Chinese team make it to the World Cup with their own eyes!
Liu Xiang didn't want to trouble Lin Feng, but he had just returned from a competition abroad and didn't have time to grab tickets.
With the match just around the corner, even the scalpers have sold out of tickets. Having tried everything to get tickets, he had no choice but to ask Lin Feng for help.
As members of the national football team, Lin Feng and his teammates all received some complimentary tickets. However, because the tickets were selling so well, the organizers were reluctant to give out more tickets.
He currently only has two tickets left. If Liu Xiang comes to watch the game by himself, then there won't be any problem.
But if he wants to lead people, or even his entire team, then that's not enough.
"Two tickets are enough. It's just Yao Ming and me coming to watch the game. We won't be bringing our families this time!"
Upon hearing Liu Xiang say he was bringing his family, Lin Feng instantly woke up from his sleepiness:
"You should have said you were bringing your wife! I have the tickets, I'll get them for you right away!"
"Damn, you just said you didn't have any tickets, and now you've taken back what you said?"
Lin Feng's dismissive voice came from the other end of the phone:
"How can that be the same? My sister-in-law wanted to come watch the game; that's giving me face, so of course I have to make arrangements!"
Liu Xiang was speechless. Was I just an accessory?
Not long after Liu Xiang, Yao Ming also called.
Yao Ming, who suffered a serious injury in May, is currently in a low mood.
I came to the Bird's Nest to watch the game, firstly to cheer on my friends, and secondly to take a break and relax.
"If Yao Ming's injury is serious, he shouldn't run around. Watching the game from home is just as good. It's enough that you're trying to help. There's no need for him to suffer as well."
When Yao Ming was injured in May, Lin Feng called to check on him.
When both players were injured, domestic football and basketball fans felt like the sky had fallen. They didn't even have the energy to continue arguing about who was the number one sport in China, or who was greater, Lin Feng or Yao Ming.
The two, both in the same boat, sympathized with each other over the phone and wished each other a speedy recovery.
As a result, Lin Feng regained his vitality in less than a month, while Yao Ming was diagnosed with a bone fracture and needed to rest for at least one season.
Yao Ming, who will turn 30 next year, suffered such a major injury late in his career, which has had a great impact on his mental state.
In the weeks following his injury, he even considered retiring.
Fortunately, his friends and relatives persuaded him, and he finally gave up the idea.
The main reason Yao Ming got injured was due to the Rockets' tactics and the pressure of playing for the national team.
Due to the Rockets' tactical requirements, Yao Ming was forced to gain weight to improve his physical strength.
However, after gaining weight, the burden on his body, especially his lower limbs, increased dramatically.
Under the strain on his body, he began to suffer from frequent injuries in recent years, even to the point of having a major injury every year.
If it were just club matches, that would be fine; the burden could be reduced by decreasing playing time.
But the problem is that Yao Ming is still the core of the Chinese team!
Without Yao Ming, the men's basketball team can't even compete with world-class teams, let alone beat Iran, which is also from Asia.
Therefore, in order to ensure the fighting strength of the men's basketball team, Yao Ming is called up to play in various competitions, which forces him to run back and forth between the club and the national team.
For a player of Yao Ming's size, long-distance travel is already inconvenient, let alone traveling to participate in a game.
The journey alone is incredibly taxing, and on top of that, the fatigue accumulated after the match means there's no time to rest before heading to the club to continue the battle.
If the body doesn't get enough rest for a long time, the accumulated fatigue will eventually erupt, resulting in either a decline in performance or, in severe cases, injuries.
"It's okay. I have nothing to do right now. I'm getting rusty from staying at home. I'm just going out to move around and change my mood."
Seeing that the other party had already said so, Lin Feng stopped trying to persuade him. Instead, he introduced Yao Ming to the resources of top European sports science experts that he had met through Real Madrid when he was injured, hoping to help him.
He genuinely hoped Yao Ming could play for a few more years and didn't want him to retire so young.
However, to achieve this, it is necessary to lose weight and reduce the number of times one returns to China to participate in competitions.
Apart from major international competitions like the Olympics and the World Championships, other competitions can be skipped; there's absolutely no need to push Yao Ming to his limits.
After all, no matter how strong Yao Ming is, he will retire sooner or later. If we don't seize the time to properly cultivate and promote young players now, what will the men's basketball team do when Yao Ming can no longer play and retires?
Compared to the men's basketball team, the men's football team is in a slightly better situation.
After all, Lin Feng is eight years younger than Yao Ming.
Even if both teams are carried by one person, the younger Lin Feng can obviously last longer.
Therefore, the debate over whether football or basketball is the number one sport in China is completely unnecessary. Whoever can produce the next international superstar sooner will be the number one sport in China.
Otherwise, if both are terrible chess players, what good would it do to win?
……
"Coach Zhu Guanghu, what are your goals for the Chinese team in next year's World Cup?"
"Lin Feng promised at the airport that he would lead the Chinese team to make history. Does this mean that your goal is to get out of the group stage and advance to the knockout stage?"
Coach Zhu, what are your thoughts on Japan's failure to qualify directly?
"Coach Zhu Guanghu, what are your thoughts on the complete elimination of West Asian teams in this World Cup qualifier?"
"I've heard that West Asian teams are dissatisfied with the current state of Asian football and are seeking to leave the Asian Football Confederation. What is your opinion on this?"
……
Although the opponent was the Australian team, not a single question was asked about Australia at the pre-match press conference.
Old Zhu was completely baffled. What kind of questions were you all asking?
Can't you ask me some questions that I can answer?
Australia's head coach, Verbeek, stood by with an awkward yet polite smile; he was actually somewhat envious of Zhu.
After all, only strong teams can attract outside attention. Like them, they've been standing here for half a day, and not many reporters have asked them any questions. They're practically invisible.
In reality, the Australian team isn't that weak, but they don't have any world-class stars, and their country isn't a world superpower with over a billion people.
Their popularity is naturally lower than that of the Chinese team, and there's nothing that can be done about it.
But if they can defeat the host nation in this match, in the Bird's Nest stadium that hosted the opening ceremony of last year's Olympics, the situation after the match will surely be reversed. (End of Chapter)