Chapter 687
China's crucial match to qualify: against the defending champions!
As the World Cup schedule becomes more congested, the attention of many fans has been diverted.
For Chinese fans, the most important thing is of course the performance of the Chinese national team itself, as well as several well-known and long-established powerhouses, such as Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, and Italy.
In addition, Chinese fans also pay attention to the situation of their East Asian neighbors.
Following South Korea's loss to Argentina in the second round, Japan also lost to the Netherlands in the subsequent match.
Their current situation is similar to that of the South Korean team. The final match against Denmark is a do-or-die game for the Japanese team.
If they lose to their opponent, the Japanese team will be eliminated.
However, due to their superior goal difference, Japan only needs a draw to advance as the second-place team in the group.
Compared to their previous mockery of the South Korean team, Chinese football fans have a much more complex attitude towards the Japanese team.
Many people hoped that the Japanese team would lose and be eliminated, but because the Japanese team might be the Chinese national team's opponent in the next round of the knockout stage, many others also hoped that the Japanese team could defeat the Danish team.
The Chinese team had previously played a friendly match against Denmark, but lost 2-3.
Although the Chinese national football team has improved a lot compared to two years ago, they may not necessarily be afraid of the opponent if they meet them.
However, considering the team's contrasting styles, the Chinese national team has a better chance of winning against Japan.
Since there are easier targets to exploit, everyone naturally wants to take the shortcut.
However, even the Chinese national football team is no match for Denmark, so can the Japanese team defeat them?
However, fans don't have much time to worry about this, because the national team's second group stage match is about to begin!
Because the opponent was the defending champion, this match received a great deal of attention in the country.
Fans eagerly awaited the start of the match, sitting in front of their televisions.
"Coach Zhang, could you analyze for us what the chances of the Chinese national team winning this match are?"
"I believe the Chinese national football team has at least a 4% chance of winning!"
As soon as Zhang Lu opened her mouth, she immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Even the fans who were casually munching on sunflower seeds and scrolling through their phones in front of the TV subconsciously stopped what they were doing and perked up their ears.
“I know many people are afraid of Italy because of their status as the defending champion, but there’s really no need to be so nervous.”
"Although the Italian team is the champion of the last World Cup, its strength has declined considerably compared to four years ago."
Their squad is aging significantly, and coach Lippi has called up a large number of veterans. Admittedly, these veterans are very experienced and have proven themselves in past matches.
But time waits for no one, and as you get older, your physical condition naturally declines.
The poor performance of these veterans in the last game has already drawn criticism, but Lippi stubbornly chose to believe in them and still included veterans like Cannavaro in the starting lineup, which is a significant opportunity for the Chinese team.
In addition, injuries to key players such as Buffon and Pirlo have greatly weakened the Italian team's strength, especially Pirlo, whose absence has greatly damaged the Italian team's attack.
In this World Cup, Italy's squad lacked top strikers like Del Piero and Toni.
Although Gilardino and Iaquinta are still around, their ability is not yet at the level of top strikers, and their goal-scoring efficiency is much lower than that of Toni and others.
Without their midfield linchpin and with their attack weakened, Italy's offense will be very ineffective. China should not face too much defensive pressure during the match. They may concede goals, but the number should not exceed two.
In contrast to Italy, our midfield is very strong, which makes our attacking threat greater than theirs. If we can exploit the weakness of their aging and inconsistent defense and score first, we can firmly grasp the initiative in the game, greatly increasing our chances of winning!
His analysis was so logical and well-founded that even the fans were almost convinced.
But when the fans thought about Italy being the defending champions, they lost confidence and felt that Zhang Lu was just bragging.
How could a commentator like him know more about football than a world-class coach like Lippi?
There must be a reason why someone makes such an arrangement!
Most fans don't dare to hope that the Chinese national team can defeat the defending champions; they would be grateful if they could just manage a draw.
Even if they lose, they feel they can accept conceding fewer penalties.
After all, they are the defending champions!
Under the spotlight, at 6 PM Beijing time on June 20th.
With the referee's whistle, the match between the Chinese national football team and the defending champions, Italy, officially kicked off.
Out of respect for the defending champions, the Chinese national football team adopted a relatively conservative 4-5-1 formation for this match.
Han Peng was the only striker positioned at the front.
Behind him, Chen Tao and Hao Junmin flanked him, acting as wingers.
Lin Feng is positioned in the center, acting as the eye of the needle.
Behind Lin Feng, Zheng Zhi and Zhao Xuri, the two defensive midfielders, were responsible for sweeping and intercepting.
At the very back is the team's defense, with the golden duo of Li Weifeng and Feng Xiaoting guarding the middle.
Veteran players Sun Xiang and Sun Jihai positioned themselves on the left and right flanks, respectively, to protect the team's sidelines.
This is the strongest lineup that the Chinese national football team can field right now. Although the opposing Tiger looks old, Coach Zhu still dares not be careless and gives him full respect!
In remembrance of former Italian star Roberto Rosato, who had just passed away before the match, the entire Italian team wore black armbands during the game, giving them a sense of mourning.
This is a very important match for the Chinese national football team, but it is even more important for the Italian team, which only has 1 point. If they are to lose, their chances of qualifying will become very difficult!
Seemingly aware of their team's predicament, the Italian team, known for its solid defense, launched an attack on the Chinese team as soon as the match began.
Just two minutes into the game, Iaquinta broke through on the right wing and crossed the ball, which was headed away by a defender and went out of bounds, giving Italy a corner kick.
De Rossi took the corner kick, but the first ball was cleared by the Chinese team, and Italy continued with another corner kick.
The second corner kick was also won by the Chinese team.
Whether it was bad luck or an off day for the Italian, Iaquinta, who stands at 191cm, failed to gain any advantage in the battle for the ball in the penalty area.
Well done, Feng Xiaoting!
[Li Weifeng is tough!]
The Chinese national football team's fans were initially very anxious as they watched the opposing team win consecutive corner kicks.
But seeing Feng Xiaoting and Li Weifeng step up to clear the way for their team, everyone's spirits were lifted. Without probing, the Italian team launched a series of fierce attacks on the Chinese national team.
That's a bit disrespectful!
The Chinese national football team is not a weakling that will stand up for itself and not fight back!
After thwarting the Italians' attack, the Chinese national team immediately retaliated, quickly advancing into the attacking third and drawing a foul from the opposing team.
The referee awarded China a free kick, and Lin Feng unsurprisingly stood at the penalty spot.
Seeing Lin Feng preparing to take the free throw, the Italian team's defense began to tense up.
Substitute goalkeeper Marchetti was extremely nervous. The opponent's free kicks were very threatening, and even Buffon wasn't confident he could save them 100%, let alone him as the second-choice goalkeeper.
Fortunately, the ball was quite far away, giving him a little more time to react. His save deflected the ball, which then fell into the penalty area and was cleared by Cannavaro with a long kick.
"Good job!"
After clearing the danger, Cannavaro reached out to Marchetti for a high-five to encourage his teammate.
"Although Cannavaro's form has declined, his leadership qualities have become stronger. He knows when and how to boost the team's morale."
Italian television commentators, upon witnessing this scene, couldn't help but praise Cannavaro's role on the field.
But I wonder if they've ever heard of the term 'jinx' (jinxed prediction). They had just praised Cannavaro's performance when the Italian captain made a fatal mistake!
In the 7th minute, the Chinese captain made a long pass to launch a counter-attack.
With his extensive experience, Cannavaro accurately predicted the ball's trajectory and was the first to place it in position.
However, his clearance was a fatal mistake. The ball hit his thigh and fell to Han Peng, who came from behind and poke it into the net from close range at the edge of the penalty area.
The score became 1-0, and the Chinese team unexpectedly took the lead!
Cannavaro's blunder, which gifted Cannavaro a huge advantage, was beyond everyone's expectations.
Even Han Peng, who scored the goal, didn't expect his second World Cup goal to come so easily!
The Chinese national football team's head coach, Zhu Guanghu, was prepared to lose, but the team took the lead right from the start.
This dreamlike opening script is completely different from what he had in mind!
Countless Chinese fans watching the game were also stunned by this turn of events;
[Cannavaro is too kind! I can't possibly accept such an expensive gift!]
[They're already offering help right from the start! Could it be true, as Coach Zhang said, that the Chinese national team can defeat the defending champions?]
[Brothers, plans have changed. We're going for three points!]
It's no wonder that the Chinese national team's fans got arrogant. Judging from the Italian team's performance in the first seven minutes of the game, no one felt any pressure from the world champions.
The opponent's initial attack was indeed powerful, but it posed little threat to the Chinese goal, failing to even get a single shot on target, let alone score.
On the other hand, the Chinese team has already had three shots on goal since the start of the game.
Although they had less possession than their opponents, they posed a far greater threat to the goal.
Moreover, Lady Luck seemed to be on the Chinese team's side, bestowing such a great gift upon them just 7 minutes into the game.
The fact that the Chinese national football team practically started the game with a 1-0 lead makes it impossible for them not to get cocky.
Conceding a goal early on had a certain impact on the Italian team's mentality, especially since the goal came from their own basic mistake, leaving many Italian players feeling a sense of frustration.
Considering the team's recent string of misfortunes, they felt as if they had been abandoned by God.
On the sidelines, tactical mastermind Marcello Lippi appeared calm, though he no longer seemed to be smoking a cigar.
Although we conceded a goal, there is still time, so it is not fatal.
What displeased him was that the team's fighting spirit was lacking, and the players' commitment and desire for victory on the field did not meet his expectations.
They didn't look like they were playing a crucial World Cup match; they acted more like they were playing a trivial exhibition game.
Lippi glanced at the bench, called over Di Natale and Camoranesi, whispered something to them, and then waved for them to warm up.
This move immediately attracted the attention of all the fans and reporters in the stadium. It's only been 10 minutes since the game started, is the Italian team going to make a substitution now?
And they changed two people at once?
If a player is substituted in the first half when he is not injured, it usually means that the head coach is extremely dissatisfied with the player's performance, is not even willing to save face for the player, and is determined to take him off.
Such substitutions are often a sign of a breakdown in the relationship between the player and the head coach, because no one can tolerate such humiliation.
Seeing that the head coach was preparing to make a substitution, the Italian players on the field finally woke up and realized they were in a hurry.
The game has only been going on for about ten minutes. If they are substituted so early, they will surely be nailed to the pillar of shame and criticized and despised by countless fans.
As for going against the head coach?
What a joke! That's the legendary coach who led the Italian team to lift the World Cup again after 24 years. Who would dare to go against him?
Spurred on, the Italian national team players began to launch more aggressive attacks against the Chinese team.
In the 15th minute, De Rossi drew a foul from Zheng Zhi during a challenge, giving Italy a free kick in a good position.
However, with Pirlo absent, De Rossi's free kick failed to pose a threat.
But thanks to Italy's aggressive counter-pressing, they quickly regained possession.
In the 17th minute, Pepe's shot from the right side of the penalty area was blocked by a Chinese defender's leg, and Italy won their third corner kick of the match.
Pepe took the corner kick, and Iaquinta, spurred on by his defeat, finally got to the ball, but his header went just wide.
Italy dominated possession but failed to score, managing several shots in quick succession, but always falling just short.
In the 21th minute, Italy won another corner kick.
Seeing that the Chinese team was marking Iaquinta very closely, they learned their lesson this time and instead of passing the ball directly to the center of the penalty area, they passed it to the far post.
Cannavaro received the corner kick at the far post and headed it on, and Chiellini suddenly burst out from the middle of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot from the top left corner of the six-yard box.
He shot from less than 5 meters from the goal, but Chiellini missed the target from such a close distance!
The Italians missed a golden opportunity to equalize. Chiellini, who kicked the ball wide, clutched his head and knelt in disbelief inside the penalty area.
Given the chance, he would have scored at least nine times out of ten, but he missed it on such an important occasion!
Have they truly been abandoned by God? (End of Chapter)