: Forwards Who Played in the Chinese Super League

Three days later at the Olympic Sports Center.

The warm-up match between Fujian Tianxin and Nantong Zhiyun is about to begin.

It was called a warm-up match, but it was really just an internal training match.

There were no tickets sold, and there were very few fans watching from the sidelines.

Well, this level of competition isn't even an official one. Even if the tickets were given away for free, probably not many people would come to watch.

Of course, today is still quite important for Wu Bin.

Unlike his previous appearances as a substitute, this time he was prominently featured in the starting lineup as a defensive midfielder.

Number 18, Wu Bin!

After several days of intense training, Wu Bin's physical strength and fitness are now significantly improved. His outstanding performance in training has raised high hopes among the coaching staff and teammates.

Head coach Zhao Qiang stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, looking at Wu Bin with a complicated expression, and solemnly instructed him: "I trust your physical strength and stamina. Hold the midfield and don't let the opponent break through easily. This is your first start, so don't let me down."

Wu Bin nodded vigorously, clenching his fists.

Standing in the starting lineup, feeling the gaze of the entire stadium, he was both nervous and excited—this was the first time since his transmigration that he had stood on the field as a key player.

However, today's opponent is not easy to deal with.

If Fujian Tianxin is a China League Three team aiming for promotion to China League Two, then its roster is mainly composed of China League Two players;

So Nantong Zhiyun is a China League Two team preparing for promotion to China League One, and its lineup exceeds the standard of China League Two players!

Even within their team, there are four players with experience in the Chinese Super League!

Defender Hu Wei previously played for Chongqing Lifan, Wuhan Optics Valley, and Shijiazhuang Ever Bright.

Defensive midfielder Wang Kai played for Chongqing Lifan for eight years and even served as captain.

Midfielder Zhang Wei played in the Chinese Super League for Jiangsu Sainty.

There's also forward Fan Zhiqiang, a former Tianjin Teda player.

Fan Zhiqiang, in particular, although not Fan Zhiyi, has exquisite footwork, amazing explosiveness, and his breakthrough ability is a game-changer in the China League Two.

Before the match began, Nantong Zhiyun's head coach, Wei Xin, a former national team player who participated in the 2004 Asian Cup, specifically gave Fan Zhiqiang some instructions:

"Their head coach just spoke with me, saying that the young defensive midfielder number 18 from Tianxin team has been showing promise lately and playing quite well. You could help assess his abilities. Of course, you also need to be careful not to let him slip up unexpectedly."

Fan Zhiqiang simply scoffed, dismissing it: "What skills can a defensive midfielder from a third-tier Chinese football team have? Messi is already a starter for Barcelona at this age!"

Wei Xin nodded slightly, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Eighteen years old may sound young, but in the world of football, it's an age when one can start to make a name for themselves.

If someone is still playing for a third-tier team at this age, they are destined not to achieve much.

Not to mention that Zhao Qiang said this player came from a humble background, so his foundation must be even weaker, and he has even less room for development.

"The match begins!"

The whistle blew, and the competition officially began.

Just three minutes into the game, Nantong Zhiyun launched a fierce attack, and after several passes, the ball was accurately delivered to Fan Zhiqiang's feet.

Fan Zhiqiang dribbled the ball down the right flank and faced Wu Bin, who came to defend him.

Fan Zhiqiang looked at Wu Bin with disdain, lightly tapped his foot, made a simple feint, and tried to get past him.

He thought he could easily shake off the young defensive midfielder.

But just as he changed direction, Wu Bin moved.

He wasn't fooled by the feint. Following Rijkaard's fighting stance, he stood sideways, lowered his center of gravity, tightened his core, and firmly planted his feet, effectively blocking Fan Zhiqiang's breakthrough route.

Fan Zhiqiang instinctively lunged forward, trying to overpower Wu Bin, but no matter how hard he tried, Wu Bin remained motionless, as if nailed to the grass. In fact, Wu Bin even used the force of the collision to gently push Fan Zhiqiang, causing his center of gravity to sway slightly.

"Hmm?" A hint of surprise flashed in Fan Zhiqiang's eyes, clearly not expecting this young defensive midfielder to be so strong in physical confrontations.

Before he could think, he exerted his strength again, trying to forcefully turn around and get away, but Wu Bin always stayed close and blocked him, his fingers lightly touching his jersey, not committing a foul, but restricting his movements tightly.

In the ensuing chaos, Fan Zhiqiang made a mistake while dribbling, and Wu Bin seized the opportunity, quickly intercepting the ball and then making a short pass to his teammate, completing a beautiful counter-attack.

"nice shot!"

"pretty!"

A cheer erupted from the sidelines as Fujian Tianxin's substitutes chanted Wu Bin's name.

A relieved smile appeared on Zhao Qiang's tense face, and he nodded slightly—it seemed he hadn't misjudged the person.

Fan Zhiqiang stood there, his face turning pale and then red, embarrassed but mostly incredulous.

He stared at Wu Bin's back, his eyes growing serious, thinking to himself: This kid actually has some skills.

At least in terms of physical strength, he really doesn't seem like an amateur player; he must have trained.

However, Fan Zhiqiang has played in the Chinese Super League and even represented the Chinese University Football Team in the World University Games, scoring 4 goals in 4 games, so he can be considered a player with international competition experience.

After abandoning his underestimation of Wu Bin, he became much more cautious when facing him in the next match.

After a few more minutes of probing, Fan Zhiqiang gradually figured out Wu Bin's characteristics.

This kid is strong, good at physical confrontations, and incredibly resilient, but his defensive skills are too rough.

It can be said that Wu Bin can only tough it out now. He doesn't understand positioning, how to drive away enemies, or how to predict breakthrough routes.

As long as you don't confront him head-on, you should be able to easily get rid of his defense by using technique and changes in rhythm!

In the 12th minute, Nantong Zhiyun launched another attack, and Fan Zhiqiang regained possession of the ball.

This time, he didn't choose to confront Wu Bin head-on. Instead, he kept moving his feet and made two quick changes of direction in succession, with the rhythm sometimes fast and sometimes slow, constantly shifting Wu Bin's center of gravity.

Wu Bin followed closely behind him, trying to get close and block him, but Fan Zhiqiang's rhythm changed too quickly, and he could never find the best defensive position. He could only follow passively, and his body gradually lost its balance.

Just as Wu Bin shifted his weight, Fan Zhiqiang suddenly accelerated, cut inside, easily got rid of his defense, charged straight into the penalty area along the flank, faced the goalkeeper, and pushed the ball into the net!

1-0! Nantong Zhiyun takes the lead!

Fan Zhiqiang did not celebrate after scoring the goal, but simply walked slowly back to his own half.

As he passed Wu Bin, he reached out and gently patted Wu Bin's shoulder, his tone tinged with disdain: "Young man, football isn't about brute force; it's about technique and using your brain!"

Wu Bin was naturally annoyed by the humiliation and reached out to push Fan Zhiqiang's hand away.

He wanted to argue, but the image of being easily beaten and watching his opponent score left him speechless.

Zhao Qiang, standing on the sidelines, also frowned.

"How come this kid's body got stronger, but his defensive skills have disappeared?"

The team hasn't organized any more scrimmages like this since the training match three days ago—after all, they need to conserve their energy for today's warm-up match.

Therefore, in Zhao Qiang's impression, Wu Bin's defensive ability was at the level of a young version of Beckenbauer.

But judging from the ten-odd minutes of the match today, Wu Bin has become a reckless brute who only relies on his physical strength.

"Is it because the opponent is too strong? Let's wait and see."

Thinking this, Zhao Qiang shouted onto the field, "Wu Bin! Watch your positioning! Don't just blindly tank! Block his breakthrough routes!"

Wu Bin took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and threw himself back into the game.

But the more anxious he became, the more flustered he became; the more he tried to hold his line of defense, the easier it was for it to be breached.

Fan Zhiqiang completely figured out his tactics, repeatedly using changes in rhythm and feints to shake him off, either cutting inside or crossing the ball, making Wu Bin run around in circles.

Wu Bin ran and fought with all his might, and even when he fell, he immediately got up and continued to defend, but his defense always seemed clumsy and passive.

He was incredibly tenacious, but faced with an absolute technological gap, that tenacity became futile.

The look in Wu Bin's teammates' eyes gradually changed from expectation to helplessness.

They tried to step up and cover, but Fan Zhiqiang was too agile. Often, just as they finished covering, he would have already broken through to the next position, causing chaos throughout the entire midfield defense.

In the 38th minute, Fan Zhiqiang had another chance.

He received a pass from his teammate, dribbled the ball down the right flank, and faced Wu Bin's defense. He used a quick change of direction to easily shift his weight, and then unleashed a precise curling shot that bypassed the goalkeeper and scored again!

2-0! Nantong Zhiyun extends their lead!

Zhao Qiang, standing on the sidelines, had a face so gloomy it could drip water.

He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with even greater disappointment.

He originally thought that Wu Bin's progress was enough to support the starting defensive midfield position, but unexpectedly, in the face of truly strong opponents, his defensive skills were full of loopholes. He could only tough it out and did not know how to adapt, which made him a defensive liability for the team.

In the remaining minutes, Wu Bin played even more frantically, even a bit too eager for quick success, frequently making reckless tackles. But the more he did this, the easier it was for Fan Zhiqiang to shake him off, and he almost made even bigger mistakes several times. Fortunately, his teammates covered in time, preventing the score from widening further.

Finally, the whistle blew to end the first half.

0-2! Fujian Tianxin trails at halftime!

The players walked back to the locker room dejectedly, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Although the opponent is indeed very strong, they are, after all, only a China League Two team.

For Tianxin, a team aiming for promotion to League Two, this was a complete lack of competitiveness.

Zhang Lei walked beside Wu Bin, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and muttered under his breath, "I thought he was so great, but he's nothing special. He made us trail by two goals at halftime."

Wu Bin didn't refute, but just lowered his head, his jersey soaked with sweat, and his face full of exhaustion.

Yes, Zhang Lei is right. He did drag the team down in this game.

Back in the locker room, Zhao Qiang slammed his tactical board on the table, his face grim as he looked at everyone, his focus falling on Wu Bin. His tone was full of disappointment and anger: "What kind of play were you guys doing in the first half?! Your midfield was completely breached! Wu Bin, tell me, what were you even doing on the field?! What happened to your defensive skills from the training matches?"

"I know you're physically strong and tough, but football isn't a contest of brute force; it's a battle of technique and tactics!" Zhao Qiang became increasingly agitated. "If you still only know how to brute force and don't know how to adapt, you don't need to play in the second half. Go back to the bench and reflect!"

Wu Bin gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Zhao Qiang looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but he finally breathed a sigh of relief and softened his tone: "I can give you a chance, but you must make changes. In the second half, stop blindly pressing forward. Learn to position yourself, learn to drive the opponents away, learn to intercept passing lanes, otherwise..."

In fact, Zhao Qiang also knew that he didn't have many players available at the moment, especially in the defensive midfield position.

We can only hope that Wu Bin will have a change of heart!

"I understand, thank you, Coach!" Wu Bin nodded vigorously.

Then, while his teammates were resting and drinking water and no one was paying attention, Wu Bin quietly walked to a corner of the locker room.

He took out his phone...