Chapter 689
: A stunning dribbling move against the former Ballon d'Or winner!
After the start of the second half, the Italian team made the first personnel change.
Di Natale and Camoranesi came on as substitutes, replacing Gilardino and Pepe.
However, the substitutions did not seem to have a significant effect. Under the influence of Lao Zhu's inspirational speech, the Chinese team performed significantly better in the second half than in the first half.
In the 49th minute, Hao Junmin received a through pass from Lin Feng and his shot from a tight angle on the right side of the penalty area was saved by Marchetti.
Just one minute later, the Chinese team launched another offensive.
This time, Lin Feng personally dribbled the ball into the penalty area, and after attracting two opposing defenders, he passed the ball between them with a very tight pass.
Unfortunately, neither of the two Chinese players in the center of the penalty area managed to get a pass in front of the goal. Judging from their reactions, they seemed to have no idea that Lin Feng would pass the ball out under such circumstances.
In the following minutes, the Chinese team completely took control of the game, but they didn't have a good way to deal with Italy's chain defense.
While Italy's attack was somewhat lacking, their defense was definitely top-tier.
As long as they don't make any blunders, it won't be easy for them to break through Italy's defense.
The Chinese team tried various methods but failed to score a second goal against Italy.
In the 61st minute, Lin Feng passed the ball to the left, and Sun Xiang's cross after dribbling down the wing was blocked by Chiellini.
The 1-1 scoreline was not satisfactory for either side. If the Chinese team wants to go further, they must win Group F to avoid the Netherlands in Group E.
For the defending champions, if they only manage a draw in this match, their control over their qualification will be completely out of their own hands.
Even if they defeat Slovakia in the next match, they are still in danger of being eliminated.
Moreover, like the Chinese team, the Italian team also did not want to face the powerful Oranje as the second-place team in the group.
Therefore, we must win this game!
In the 63rd minute, Lippi used his last substitution, replacing midfielder Marchisio with striker Pazzini.
This is a signal that the offensive is about to intensify!
But upon seeing the opponent make a substitution, Zhu Guanghu was not worried but rather pleased.
The Italian team has finally decided to attack. If they continue to play defensively like this, the Chinese team really won't be able to do anything about them.
After all, the Chinese team is not a world-class powerhouse, and they really don't have many good ways to deal with the all-out defense of a team like Italy.
The subsequent match confirmed Zhu's prediction. Italy's substitution of strikers to strengthen their attack increased the threat to the Chinese team's goal, but it also made it easier for the Chinese team to penetrate into the opponent's half or even the penalty area.
In the 67th minute, the Chinese national team's attack reached the Italian team's half again, but was cleared out of bounds by an opposing player.
Popeye Zhao Xuri makes a grand entrance, taking a few steps back before forcefully throwing the ball into the penalty area.
Italy won the first ball, but the defenders failed to clear it far enough.
The Chinese player on the perimeter received the ball and unleashed a powerful shot, but there were too many players in the penalty area, and the ball bounced out of the penalty area again, hitting someone else.
Zheng Zhi got to the ball first, then gently tapped it to Zhao Xuri, who had just returned to the field after throwing in the ball.
Zhao Xuri has a strong shot and a decent long-range shot.
However, Zhao Xuri's shots are like Brownian motion; no one knows where his shot will ultimately land.
With a loud bang, the football flew into the stands.
This high-angle shot caused the fans who had just stood up in the stands and in front of their televisions to slump back into their seats like deflated balloons.
[Damn, I knew it!]
[What a disappointment!]
[Zhao Yijiao, if only your aim were even slightly better, you'd be a top-tier heavy gunner!]
[I feel like Zheng Zhi should have taken the shot himself. If he really couldn't, passing the ball to Feng Xiaoting and letting him take a shot would have been more reliable than Zhao Xuri!]
[I think if we had passed the ball back into the penalty area directly, catching the opponent off guard, it might have had a surprising effect?]
[It's not that easy. Do you think Italy's defense is made of paper?]
While Chinese football fans were still lamenting the earlier attack, the Italian counter-attack had already reached the Chinese team's half.
In the 69th minute, Di Natale crossed from the left, and Iaquinta's header from 12 meters out went wide of the post.
In the 70th minute, Camoranesi passed the ball to Montolivo, whose long-range shot from 30 yards was saved by Wang Dalei with one hand.
In the 73rd minute, the Chinese team's defense almost made a fatal mistake.
Li Weifeng and Feng Xiaoting failed to create an offside trap, and Pazzini, who came on as a substitute for the Italian team, received the ball and had a one-on-one opportunity.
However, he didn't handle the ball well on his first attempt, and by the time he adjusted, Wang Dalei had already made the save.
Pazzini's hasty shot hit Wang Dalei's arm, but was cleared by Feng Xiaoting who rushed back.
The opponent's attack startled the Chinese national team. If it weren't for the opponent's mistake and Wang Dalei's timely reaction to block the shooting angle, the score would have been 1-2!
Conceding a goal at the 70-minute mark is practically a death sentence for the Chinese team!
"When the national football team announced its World Cup roster, many people questioned Zhu Guanghu's choice of goalkeeper, feeling that Wang Dalei was too young and not up to the task."
But in these two group stage matches, Wang Dalei proved his ability with his outstanding performance, demonstrating that he is fully capable of being the starting goalkeeper for this Chinese team!
"Yes, Da Lei has been training at Inter Milan for several years and his abilities have improved a lot. Although he looks very young now, his experience in major competitions may be more extensive than many veteran goalkeepers in China!"
Both commentators praised Wang Dalei's save, saying it was no exaggeration to say that he saved the team.
[Well done, Da Lei!]
I feel that within Asia, Da Lei is already one of the top goalkeepers. Give him a few more years, and he will undoubtedly be the best goalkeeper in Asia!
[That's too narrow-minded. What does being number one in Asia mean? If you want to be number one, aim to be number one in the world!]
[That's a bit too much. Da Lei wasted too much time in China. If he had gone to Europe for professional goalkeeper training before he was thirteen, he might have reached the level of a world-class goalkeeper. But he only went at eighteen, which not only put him at a later start than others, but also meant he had to spend time correcting the mistakes he made in China.]
[That's right, the goalkeeper position is where we lag behind foreign teams the most.] In the early years, the Chinese Super League introduced foreign goalkeepers, which resulted in a devastating blow to domestic goalkeepers. The Football Association had to take emergency measures to prohibit clubs from using foreign goalkeepers; otherwise, it wouldn't be long before all domestic goalkeepers would be out of a job.
However, precisely because of this, the domestic goalkeeping field has become closed off, and the inability to exchange ideas with high-level foreign counterparts has resulted in a decline in its own strength.
When Wang Dalei went to Inter Milan for a trial, Inter Milan's goalkeeping coach pointed out that he had the wrong hand position when making saves. If even such a basic goalkeeping skill can be taught incorrectly, it shows how backward China's goalkeeping training is!
Taking advantage of the Chinese national team's waning energy in the 70th minute, the Italian team launched a fierce counterattack.
These few minutes of attack kept Chinese fans on the edge of their seats, fearing that the team would concede a goal at any moment.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhu Guanghu immediately began to replace him.
Chen Tao was substituted off, and Zhou Haibin came on.
Compared to Chen Tao, Zhou Haibin has stronger defensive capabilities. This substitution is intended to further strengthen control of the midfield and prevent the opponent from easily launching an attack in the midfield.
In addition to his defense, Zhou Haibin can also provide some help to the team on the offensive end.
Zhou Haibin played very actively after coming on, and did an excellent job in both intercepting in the middle and providing support and protection on the flanks.
But you can't win a game by just defending; you have to attack to beat your opponent.
In the 78th minute, after thwarting Italy's attack, the Chinese team launched a counterattack.
After Lin Feng and Zhou Haibin completed a one-two pass in the middle, Lin Feng passed the ball diagonally to Hao Junmin, who had already broken into the right side of the penalty area.
The Italian defenders reacted quickly, and by the time Lin Feng completed the pass, they had already positioned themselves. One of them closely marked Han Peng in the center of the penalty area, while another blocked Hao Junmin's left front.
Another player remained near the edge of the penalty area, clearly guarding against the opposing midfielder's forward run and shot.
Seeing no opportunity, Hao Junmin chose to dribble towards the baseline to buy time for his teammates to reach their attacking positions.
Zambrotta followed Hao Junmin closely, giving him no chance.
Left with no other option, Hao Junmin could only pass the ball to Sun Jihai, who came up to receive it.
When Sun Jihai received the ball, Zambrotta was still in front of Hao Junmin, and there was no one defending on the wing, which gave him time to observe.
At this point, Sun Jihai had two options. The first was to cross the ball directly into the penalty area and try his luck with Han Peng.
The second option is to pass the ball back to a teammate in the middle, allowing them to reorganize the attack.
If it were the previous national team, Sun Jihai would most likely have chosen the first method to complete this attack.
After all, it's already quite an achievement to advance the attack into the opponent's 30-meter danger zone. Passing the ball into the penalty area might even give you a chance to win a shot.
However, if the ball is passed back, given the Chinese team's organizational ability, it would be difficult to score again once the opponent's defensive formation is fully set.
But things are very different now. The Chinese team has no shortage of playmakers, and with limited time, they cannot afford to waste opportunities.
So, upon seeing Lin Feng running towards him, Sun Jihai passed the ball to Lin Feng without hesitation.
Previously, Lin Feng was staring at De Rossi, but now it's De Rossi staring at Lin Feng.
Seeing Lin Feng receive the ball, De Rossi quickly closed in from behind.
But Lin Feng didn't get entangled with him. Instead, he turned around and passed the ball back to Zheng Zhi, who was unmarked.
Zheng Zhi had just moved from his own half to the vicinity of the center circle, and there was no one marking him around.
Seeing that the opponent had piled up a large number of troops on the right side, Zheng Zhi took the opportunity to pass the ball to the left side, where it was passed to Zhou Haibin.
Although the Italian defense moved quickly at the first moment, on the field, the ball always moves faster than a person.
Zhou Haibin had a very wide field of vision and noticed Lin Feng's movements before even receiving the ball.
Seeing that the opponent had moved behind De Rossi, seemingly trying to cut into the space between the opponent's midfield and defense, he made a diagonal pass to the position he thought Lin Feng might be going.
The pass was extremely precise; when the ball was passed, Camoranesi had already closed in and was almost able to intercept it.
Fortunately, the ball made it through!
Well said!
Lin Feng mentally gave Zhou Haibin a thumbs up and then accelerated past De Rossi.
Seeing that there seemed to be a loophole in the opponent's defense, Lin Feng did not hesitate at all and decisively dribbled the ball into the penalty area.
Almost as soon as he entered the penalty area, his former teammate Cannavaro appeared in front of him.
The two had been teammates at the club for two years and were well aware of each other's abilities.
If this were Cannavaro at his peak, Lin Feng would absolutely not be confident of getting past him, nor would he attempt it lightly.
Unfortunately, Cannavaro was already on the decline when he left Real Madrid last year, and his current form is even worse than last year.
After nearly 80 minutes of intense fighting, Cannavaro was completely exhausted and was at his limit.
But at this moment he dared not show any signs of fatigue, because he knew he was facing a fierce tiger. If he showed any weakness, the tiger would immediately bare its fangs!
Cannavaro underestimated Lin Feng's determination. Whether he was trying to appear calm or not, it didn't affect Lin Feng's determination to get past him and put the ball into the Italian goal.
Seeing Cannavaro approaching, Lin Feng immediately calmed down and made a feint to the right with his right foot. Cannavaro was unmoved. With nearly 20 years of professional experience, he was very experienced in defense and saw through the feint at a glance!
Lin Feng was not surprised at all that his opponent had not fallen for the trick. He immediately changed his approach from a push to a pull, moving the ball from the right side to the left.
When the ball rolled between Lin Feng's feet, it exposed a weakness. An average defender might have been tempted to recklessly extend their foot to intercept it.
Cannavaro remained unfazed and did not fall for the trick.
But the next second, Lin Feng flicked the ball with his left foot and then suddenly exerted force with his right foot, pushing off the ground and cutting across towards the center of the penalty area.
Cannavaro was instantly left half a body length behind, and when Chiellini saw Lin Feng coming towards him, he immediately abandoned Han Peng and stood in front of Lin Feng.
However, the moment Chiellini blocked Lin Feng's path, Lin Feng once again tipped the ball to his right side and used the tip of his right foot to flick it through the less than half-meter gap between Chiellini and Cannavaro.
The song's dribbling skills were so amazing that fans at the stadium and those watching on TV almost all stood up at once.
The voices of Chinese fans were already on the verge of being shouted out, and the hearts of Italian fans were almost in their throats as well!
The opponent's number eight has a one-on-one opportunity! (End of Chapter)