Chapter 626
The Australians were stunned. Was this still the Chinese team?
"China's pressing in the attacking third was quite good today, especially the two forwards. Their pressing put a lot of pressure on the opponent, preventing Australia from launching several fast breaks."
Zhang Lu, who understands football, immediately saw that the Australian team's inability to launch an attack was related to the Chinese team's high-pressing tactics in the attacking third.
"Coach Zhu Guanghu's starting forwards today were Dong Fangzhuo and Gao Lin, and he didn't continue to play Han Peng. He may have been planning to press high from the beginning."
Zhan Jun chimed in from the side:
"Yes, young players have good stamina and high obedience, making them very suitable for this tactic."
"More importantly, both of them played in Europe, where the physical intensity of the leagues is very high. They developed strong physical strength in Europe, which will come in handy when they face teams like Australia that rely on physical attributes!"
On the field, Dong Fangzhuo was just as fierce as he had been against other opponents, and he was not at a disadvantage at all because the Australian players were white.
Compared to him, Gao Lin's physical strength is slightly inferior, but he is more experienced and runs more frequently, making it difficult for opposing defenders to keep him locked down, which greatly reduces the intensity of his confrontation.
In the 12th minute, Lin Feng delivered a cross from a 45-degree angle.
Dong Fangzhuo forcefully squeezed through the gap between two defenders, rushed into the penalty area, and headed the ball into the opponent's goal as it landed.
The score became 1-0, with the Chinese team taking the lead and breaking the deadlock.
"China's first goal came from Dong Fangzhuo, who plays for Antwerp in the Belgian First Division!"
The DJ at the scene loudly announced Dong Fangzhuo's name and played an exciting piece of music at the moment of the goal.
When the DJ announced his name, the fans in the stands responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers. The burly man with a bare chest beating the drum glanced back at the still swaying Australian goal, then turned back and continued to vigorously beat the drum in front of him.
The intense drumbeats, rousing music, and cheers from all sides brought the atmosphere at the Bird's Nest to a climax.
"Dong Fangzhuo has improved! That opportunity was fleeting, but he spotted it and seized it!"
Zhan Jun was praising Dong Fangzhuo, after all, it was Dong Fangzhuo who scored the goal.
But Zhang Lu also praised Lin Feng:
"However, I must also praise Lin Feng's pass. He not only keenly seized the opportunity behind the opposing defender, but also accurately delivered the ball to a place that the opposing goalkeeper could not reach. If the ball were passed backward, it would be intercepted by the defender, and if it were passed forward, it would be caught by the goalkeeper. It seems that Lin Feng casually kicked the ball and created an assist, but in reality, this pass really tests the skill of the passer."
After hearing the analysis and explanation from the two, the fans realized that there were actually so many intricacies involved in that attack.
[Thank you to the Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother of the West, Laozi... for bringing a midfielder of Lin Feng's caliber to the Chinese team!]
[Thanks +1!]
[Thanks +2!]
……
People used to ask whether midfielders or forwards were more important. I originally thought forwards were more important, since you need to score goals to win. But after seeing Lin Feng's performance, I realized I was wrong. Midfielders are actually more important.
I wholeheartedly agree. A good striker can indeed raise a team's ceiling, but a good midfielder can significantly raise a team's floor!
The Chinese national team has actually had enough strength over the past decade or so, but its performance has been too low, and it's also been unlucky, so it often falls just short. Lin Feng's emergence filled this gap, greatly raising the team's performance level, and finally allowing them to achieve that crucial goal of qualifying for the World Cup once again!
Those who feel this most deeply are not only the vast majority of Chinese football fans, but also the head coach of the Chinese national team's old rival, the Australian national team, Verbeek.
In his early years, when he followed Guus Hiddink to coach the South Korean national team, he played against the Chinese team many times.
The Chinese team at that time was a super-golden generation that had participated in the World Cup, and its strength was not weak in Asia.
But when they faced the South Korean team, they could never win.
That Chinese team had a good defense; several defenders left a deep impression on him. The forwards were also good, but the midfield was nothing special.
When the Chinese national football team participated in the World Cup, the midfield was the first part to collapse.
Milutinovic was worried that his players couldn't hold on, so he had to move Sun Jihai, a full-back, to the midfield position to play as a winger. However, the Chinese national team was really unlucky, and the Costa Ricans successfully neutralized Sun Jihai through fouling tactics.
Milutinovic's plan failed from the start, and the Chinese national team, lacking World Cup experience, had no concept of the intensity of the World Cup. Coupled with their own excessive tension, the tension worsened after Sun Jihai was injured and substituted.
When opponents constantly increase the intensity of the game, they have to squeeze out their physical strength to barely cope, and the consequence of doing so is that their physical strength is exhausted prematurely.
Sixty minutes ago, the Chinese national football team could still hold on, but after sixty minutes, as their physical strength declined, the team was instantly and completely defeated.
Costa Rica is the weakest of the three teams in the group stage, and the Chinese national team must get three points against them if it wants to advance.
However, experienced football fans who understand the game and watch matches regularly should realize after watching the first ten minutes that the Chinese national team has no chance of winning.
There is a gap in strength between the two teams, but the gap is even greater in their World Cup experience and mentality in dealing with international competitions.
The opponent fully exploited the weaknesses of the Chinese national team, which was inexperienced, and used their rich experience to crush them.
Thinking back to that Chinese team, it feels like it was just yesterday.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, they have transformed themselves from having no available midfielders and having to use full-backs as makeshift midfielders, to now having the world's best midfielders and two top Asian midfielders.
This left Verbeek sighing with regret. For the current Chinese team, the midfield is no longer their weakness; on the contrary, it is their sharpest spear.
Even with their physical advantages, the Australian team couldn't gain any advantage against the Chinese team's powerful midfield.
Australia's possession rate in this match was dismal. In the first 20 minutes, they had a paltry 25% possession, their lowest possession rate since they started participating in the World Cup qualifiers.
There was nothing we could do; the opposing players were just too aggressive in their attacks.
Every time they finally managed to defend against the Chinese team's attack and were about to launch a counterattack, something always went wrong during the forward passing of the ball.
China's pressing tactics today were systematic, rather than the blind actions of one or two players.
As a Dutchman, Coach Verbeek recognized the origin of this tactic almost instantly when the Chinese team used it – the total football style of Dutch football! He was genuinely surprised, as total football is a very advanced and effective tactic.
But this requires too much skill from the players on the field. Even the Dutch national team themselves couldn't figure it out. They never imagined that an Asian team thousands of miles away from the Netherlands would be using this tactic.
I don't know whether to say the other person is courageous or ignorant and arrogant.
No one understands the drawbacks of total football better than him; it places too high demands on the players.
When using this tactic, the roles and positions of the players on the field are constantly changing.
This requires players on the field to be able to play multiple positions. Otherwise, if they call up players from other positions in order to pursue a numerical advantage in a local area, and the remaining players are not able to fill the gaps, the space left behind will become their weakness and will be easily exploited by the opponent.
However, just as Verbeek was gearing up, ready to wait for the Chinese team's defense to show a weakness and then deliver a fatal blow, he was disappointed.
The Chinese team did play a total football style, but it wasn't the original version of total football played by the Dutch.
Instead, it is an improved version that places greater emphasis on the overall picture and regional pressure.
In attack, the two wingers of the Chinese national team will push forward to form a 4-2-4 formation, making the most of the width of the field to widen the opponent's defensive line and increase the gaps between the opposing players, thereby exposing more weaknesses and space.
When defending, the Chinese national team switched to a 4-4-2 formation, with the midfield and backline forming two chains that effectively blocked the opponent's possession of the ball.
This tactical change greatly compressed the opponent's offensive space, making it very difficult for them to break through the Chinese team's defense through small-scale offensive combinations.
If they try to launch a high ball and make a long pass, they will fall into the offside trap set by the Chinese team.
Of course, if the Australian team had a stronger winger or full-back, they could use accurate long passes to shift the ball to the weak side and break free from the Chinese team's tactics.
But things weren't that simple. When defending, the Chinese team's tactics involved the two forwards locking down the two opposing center-backs, preventing the Australian team from transferring the ball to the weak side through their center-backs.
As for the players on the flanks passing the ball from one flank to the other, that takes too long, enough for the Chinese team's defense to complete the transition.
If the defenders are no good, and the wingers are no good, then how about the midfielders?
The answer is still no!
Because the opposing team has a free agent – Lin Feng!
Lin Feng is not only good at offense, but he is also a master of defense.
Under his restrictions, even Xavi and Iniesta struggled to find room to operate, let alone the Australian midfielders.
Lin Feng's presence made it difficult for Australian ball handlers to not only pass the ball, but also to protect it, often forcing them to pass it back.
When the opponent is forced to pass the ball back, the Chinese team has an opportunity to attack.
In the 32nd minute of the first half, when the opposing midfielder was forced to pass back, Lin Feng quickly rushed forward. At the same time, the other players of the Chinese national team also accelerated at almost the same time, pressing forward like mad dogs.
The Australian defender had just received a pass back from his teammate when he looked up and saw Lin Feng charging towards him.
Startled, he quickly passed the ball to his teammate. Before the teammate could even get the ball, he saw the Chinese striker who had scored earlier rushing towards him.
He only had one goalkeeper behind him, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake at this point. If he lost possession from that position, it would almost certainly give the opponent a one-on-one opportunity.
So as soon as he got the ball, he didn't dare to delay and immediately tried to pass it away.
However, he had very few passing options left. When Lin Feng saw Dong Fangzhuo rushing forward, he anticipated the opponent's passing route and took the ball before the third Australian defender could receive it.
The crowd erupted in uproar. Chinese fans in the stands gasped as they saw Lin Feng dribbling the ball toward the opponent's penalty area. The gasp quickly turned into excited screams and shouts.
"Charge, Lin Feng!"
"Lin Feng, score!"
Amid the cheers of tens of thousands of fans, Lin Feng ran faster and faster, and in the blink of an eye, he dribbled the ball into the penalty area.
After cursing his teammates' ancestors in his mind, the Australian goalkeeper had no choice but to grit his teeth and rush out.
But it was all too late. Almost the instant he launched his attack, Lin Feng suddenly stopped, tilted his body, swung his arm and raised his leg, and slammed the ball hard.
The football, like a cannonball, flew towards the goal with a whoosh at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
The ball was moving so fast, and the distance was so short, that the goalkeeper barely had time to react before he heard the sound of the ball hitting the net.
2-0, Lin Feng's goal helped the Chinese team further extend their lead.
When the football flew into the net, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the stadium.
As the most popular star player in the national football team, Lin Feng's every move attracts countless eyes.
Every time he gets past an opponent, dribbles past someone, or even passes a ball on the field, he can win rounds of applause from the fans, not to mention scoring a goal.
After Lin Feng scored, many fans stood up and applauded him. Some female fans screamed his name, not even realizing their voices were hoarse.
Lin Feng wasn't planning to celebrate. The goal wasn't difficult; it was the opponent's own mistake, so he wasn't too excited.
But after feeling the enthusiasm of the fans and their expectant gazes, Lin Feng chuckled, went to the sidelines, waved his arms, jumped high, and landed with his hands crossed, completing one of his signature celebration moves.
The fans in the stadium, as if they had rehearsed countless times, erupted in unison the instant Lin Feng made the move:
"Siu!"
"Damn, Brother Lin, you're such a show-off! I want to fill a cup with a round shape like that too!"
Gao Lin ran over, his tone full of envy and jealousy.
"Design a powerful, visually appealing, and unique celebration move for yourself, then work hard to improve your skills and try to score more goals in the game. Over time, people will naturally remember you, and you will receive the same treatment!"
Chen Tao patted Gao Lin on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
His former teammate at Werder Bremen, Miroslav Klose, is remembered by many for his signature front flip celebration.
If Gao Lin really can't think of anything, then he should do a backflip, or even a series of backflips like an acrobat. That would definitely make people remember his name instantly! (End of Chapter)