Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 460 Is this really fair?
Amidst the numerous discussions, the second half quickly followed.

The Japanese team definitely wants to win, but even if they tie the game, they must score three goals and prevent the Chinese team from scoring.

This is really not an easy thing.

To seize this last chance, they have no choice but to go all out. However, they must also focus on their defense in the backcourt and cannot relax their defense against Shan Yongzhuo for even a moment.

In the second half, the Japanese team continued to intensify their attack.

While the strategy employed was correct, trying to balance both the front and back lines was simply too poor a tactic; at least for the Japanese team, they don't yet possess that capability.

Furthermore, the Japanese team has another major problem: a lack of attacking firepower.

Their key players, such as Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, and even Shinji Okazaki, are not the type of players who can be used as strikers, and their only striker, Ryo Maeda, is already quite old in his first year.

Furthermore, although Ryoichi Maeda is the main striker for the Japanese national team, he has spent his entire professional career playing in the J-League and has never had the experience of playing abroad.

Compared to the renowned midfield and defense, Ryoichi Maeda, despite winning the J-League top scorer award for two consecutive seasons and being a favorite of Zaccheroni, still seems somewhat insignificant. What he is most famous for is his "Maeda Curse".

According to statistics, since the 2007 season, in the J-League, if Ryoichi Maeda scores in the first half of his season, the opposing team will definitely be relegated for the rest of the season.

From Ventforet Kofu in the 2007 season to Gamba Osaka last season, none of the six teams escaped this fate.

Although Ryoichi Maeda scored a goal in the match, at this moment, he had become completely invisible on the field.

Japan's attack can only rely on Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda's outside breakthroughs and shots to pose a threat.

Such an attack was all bark and no bite, and Shinji Kagawa was so entangled by Feng Xiaoting that he had a hard time unleashing his full power.

Moreover, there was a serious disconnect between their front and back lines, with many players attacking too far forward, creating a vacuum in midfield.

This is actually quite fatal.

To make matters worse, the Japanese players are becoming increasingly impatient, and there have even been instances of them blaming each other on the field, which is very detrimental to them.

But the Chinese team seized the opportunity.

In the 58th minute, Zheng Zhi made a through pass from outside the penalty area, and Shan Yongzhuo took a shot from the left side of the penalty area. The ball was blocked by Konno Yasuyuki's body, but Yu Hanchao followed up and scored with no one marking him.

6 is better than 2!

This is not over yet.

Two minutes later, in the 60th minute, the Chinese team launched another counterattack.

In this attack, Hao Junmin broke through the middle and then made a beautiful through pass into the penalty area. Shan Yongzhuo shook off Yoshida Maya, successfully beat the offside trap, and fired a shot into the penalty area, once again piercing the Japanese team's goal.

7 is better than 2!

The game has spiraled out of control.

And Shan Yongzhuo was undoubtedly the most dazzling one.

This is his fifth goal of the match!
"Shan Yongzhuo, the unstoppable Shan Yongzhuo!"

The CTV5 commentator exclaimed, "The Japanese team had absolutely no way to stop Shan Yongzhuo from scoring! Shan Yongzhuo easily netted his fifth goal of the match, and his 14th goal since the start of the World Cup qualifiers!"

"14 goals in three games, averaging nearly 5 goals per game!"

"The gap between Shan Yongzhuo and the Asian level is just too big!"

"..."

Listening to the commentator, the viewers in front of the TV finally understood just how terrifying Shan Yongzhuo was.

Nearly 5 goals per game?
Can you still have fun playing?

This means that before the match even starts, simply fielding Shan Yongzhuo puts them in a match where five goals have already been scored. Is this a friendly match?

The Japanese TV commentator lamented helplessly, "This is Japan's strongest lineup, but they still lost miserably to the world's number one star. They were completely outmatched by Shan Yongzhuo, who single-handedly turned them into an elementary school team."

"I'll say it again, Japan must prioritize youth training!"

“In recent years, we have produced excellent players such as Shinji Kagawa, Atsuto Uchida, and Shinji Okazaki, but although they are all very good, they are still far behind Shan Yongzhuo.”

"We need to develop youth training more deeply and find our own Shan Yongzhuo!"

"Otherwise, Japan wouldn't even be able to dominate Asia..."

Meanwhile, the Japanese team was truly helpless.

Their players have completely lost their fighting spirit and are utterly devoid of motivation.

Head coach Zaccheroni sighed and signaled to the fourth official to make substitutions. Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, and Maya Yoshida were substituted off one after another, and three substitutes came on.

This means they've given up on the match.

In such a big competition, it's really hard to just give up until the very last moment, but there's nothing we can do about it, and everyone can understand Zaccheroni's thinking.

The game is already lost, so it's better to give the younger players some experience and avoid putting too much of a blow on the key players.

On the other side, Gao Hongbo also made a substitution.

Shan Yongzhuo left the stage amidst applause and cheers, giving Yang Xu his chance to play.

Meanwhile, veterans Li Weifeng and Zheng Zhi left the field amidst applause, while Chen Tao and Du Wei got to play.

The rest of the match proceeded uneventfully, becoming a true friendly match.

The Japanese team is still better than the Chinese team overall. Now that they don't have to worry about Shan Yongzhuo, the Japanese team is launching a full-scale attack and is clearly performing better than before.

The Chinese team can only solidify its defense and find it difficult to launch any significant offensive attacks.

In the 82nd minute, the Japanese team finally scored another goal.

Atsuto Uchida delivered a cross from the byline, and Ryoichi Maeda outjumped Du Wei to head the ball into the net.

7 is better than 3!

Japan has narrowed the gap to 4 goals.

However, this had absolutely no impact on the game.

Finally, the referee blew the final whistle, and the Chinese team unexpectedly defeated the Japanese team 7-4 on home soil.

The news immediately swept the nation after the match.

This victory was truly astonishing.

The media was full of news about the Chinese national football team. The players and Gao Hongbo were in the limelight, and even the evening news program dedicated a minute and a half to reporting on the match.

Shan Yongzhuo, who performed the best, naturally received a lot of media attention.

Meanwhile, comments made by Japan's head coach Zaccheroni have also sparked widespread discussion.

At the post-match press conference, Zaccheroni said with a frustrated expression, "It's a pity we lost the game. My players have tried their best and played to their full potential."

"As for why this is the result, I can say a word."

"Is it really fair to put a player of Shan Yongzhuo's historical caliber, who is arguably one of a kind in football history, on an Asian-level field?"

(End of this chapter)