Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Chapter 394: A bloodbath against the South Korean team, advancing to the semifinals!

At halftime, China led 2-0.

This result is strikingly similar to the last match between the Chinese national football team and the Iranian team, with the same score and the same storyline.

Like Iran, the South Korean team conceded a goal at the start of the game, but then fought back fiercely.

Just when they thought they were about to equalize, the Chinese national team dealt them another blow, widening the score gap.

This score left the South Korean players feeling extremely frustrated, as they didn't think their performance was any worse than the Chinese team's.

Even some players with high self-esteem felt that they performed better.

Apart from Lin Feng, the Chinese team members were not taken seriously at all.

Judging from the first half, they clearly dominated and had the initiative.

But even under these circumstances, they fell behind 0-2.

How can South Koreans accept this?

When the news reached South Korea that they were trailing 0-2 at halftime, the South Koreans broke down:
[Damn it, if you bunch of bastards dare to lose to China, you'd better all swim back!]

This is truly a disgrace to South Korea. These guys don't deserve to represent the Korean team!

[What a load of rubbish about being Asia's number one! Park Ji-sung can't even keep an eye on a 19-year-old kid, he should just retire!]

[Dutch scammers, get out of South Korea!]

Fire that damned Dutchman and make him compensate us for our losses!

Before the Great Firewall was built, some international students fluent in Korean reposted comments made by Koreans online that had caused them to lose their composure to posts on Chinese online forums and message boards, attracting countless onlookers and ridicule from fans.
[The Koreans are really funny. When they win, they attribute it to their own strength, but when they lose, they blame the coach's poor performance. They themselves seem to have no problem with anything!]

[What's even more ridiculous is that you can only represent the South Korean team if you win, and you can't if you lose? Then next time other teams play against South Korea, they'll have to ask the opposing team beforehand whether they can actually represent the South Korean team.]

[It was these South Koreans who hailed Park Ji-sung as the number one Asian star, and now they're the same ones who are tearing him down completely. Their change of heart is faster than turning the pages of a book!]

[To be honest, I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing the South Korean team swim back from the sea. If they can really do it, they shouldn't play football anymore; they should just sign up for swimming competitions, and the championship would be a sure thing, right?]

[Haha, are you kidding? Southeast Asia is thousands of kilometers away from mainland South Korea. Unless these South Korean players are human Gundams, they'd definitely be shark food halfway there!]

[Gundam? Where can I find Gundam?]

……

In fact, it wasn't just the South Korean public who were furious; the team was too.

Sure enough, as soon as they returned to the locker room, the Koreans started arguing.

Dutch coach Verbeek criticized his players for disregarding his tactics, acting recklessly on the field, and performing poorly.

The South Korean players, however, believed that the coach's tactics were impractical, detached from reality, and impossible to execute.

Both sides stuck to their own version of events and argued fiercely.

Actually, the players didn't spout nonsense. According to the tactics set up by Verbeek before the match, the South Korean team only needed to send Park Ji-sung to mark Lin Feng tightly.

But in reality, he couldn't do it alone; at least two people would be needed to limit Lin Feng's performance.

However, this will severely impact their attacking numbers in the frontcourt, significantly reducing their offensive effectiveness.

Furthermore, he overestimated the strength of the South Korean team's attack on the flanks and underestimated the quality of the Chinese team's defense on the flanks.

The result was that the South Korean team's strategy of attacking down the flanks was unsuccessful. Although it looked impressive, it failed to create any real opportunities.

On the contrary, by concentrating too many troops on the flanks, their own central area became vulnerable, giving the opponent an opportunity to counterattack.

That's how South Korea conceded their second goal.

After a huge argument with the players, Verbeek was heartbroken.

He was really looking forward to coaching the South Korean team before he came to the country.

After all, the South Korean team has a solid foundation; they even reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2002.

After his two fellow Dutchmen, Guus Hiddink and Bonfrere, stepped down, the Koreans, out of superstition for Dutch coaches, promoted him from assistant coach to head coach.

Hopefully, he can continue the Dutch team's success and lead the South Korean team to even greater achievements.

But harsh reality proved that he wasn't cut out for it.

He can't do what a great coach like Hiddink can do.

In addition, his lack of experience and prestige led to the players in the South Korean team not being convinced of him or respecting him from the very beginning of his tenure.

The same group of players behaved so well under Hiddink.

But when they got under his command, they all turned into traitors, opposing him in everything they did, making it impossible for him to carry out his work.

In addition, after the scandal of the 02 World Cup, the South Korean team not only did not receive the same level of special treatment on the field as in the 02 World Cup, but also often suffered some unfair rulings due to its bad reputation.

But who can blame this?
Who told them to go so far back then? Now it's just karma coming full circle!
In the second half, the South Korean team made substitutions, with Lee Dong-gook, who had performed poorly, and Lee Chun-soo, who was unlucky, being replaced.

However, the South Korean team's substitutions did not seem to have much effect, although they limited Lin Feng's performance by double-teaming him and Park Ji-sung's relentless defense.

However, because too many people were deployed to deal with Lin Feng, there was a shortage of manpower in other positions.

This gave the Chinese team an opportunity!
In the 52nd minute, Zheng Zhi, who had been diligently playing the role of a defensive midfielder in the backfield, suddenly dribbled the ball across the halfway line.

His arrival disrupted the numerical balance in the attacking third, creating a gap in the South Korean team's defense.

Seeing an opportunity, Zheng Zhi took advantage of the space in the attacking third and executed a brilliant short passing combination with his teammates in the middle.

The continuous one-two passes threw the South Korean defense into disarray, causing them to miss Shao Jiayi in their panic.

Shao Jiayi seized the opportunity, making a clever diagonal run into the penalty area and gaining a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper.

But before Shao Jiayi could shoot, he slipped and fell in the penalty area.

This is a staged accident scam!
The nearby South Korean players were startled and raised their hands to indicate that they had not committed a foul.

They didn't commit any fouls; the playing field was slippery due to the rain.

"What a pity! If they hadn't slipped, the Chinese national team could have scored again!"

"Although they failed to complete the attack, at least they achieved some results. After the South Korean team made substitutions, their midfield defensive problems were still not resolved. Moreover, Park Ji-sung's stamina was too depleted, and he probably won't be able to continue for long!"

Just as the ball was out of play, the live broadcast cameras captured Park Ji-sung with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

This surprised many fans, as Park Ji-sung is known as Park the Three Lungs because of his incredible running ability.

Manchester United were interested in him largely because of his excellent physical condition and running ability.

But this player, known for his physical prowess, is actually struggling to keep up!
What exactly did he go through?

Thinking of this, the fans all looked at Lin Feng.

Park Ji-sung's main responsibility in this game is to mark Lin Feng. If Park Ji-sung is so tired that he can't run anymore, then Lin Feng, who is being closely marked by him, must be in no better shape.
After all, running alone wouldn't be enough to cause Park Ji-sung's stamina to drop so quickly. There must have been intense physical contact between the two, and physical contact is the most physically demanding activity.

Forces are reciprocal. Since Park Ji-sung's antibody levels dropped significantly due to his body's resistance, Lin Feng's situation should be similar.

But when their gazes were fixed on Lin Feng, they couldn't see any sign that he was exhausted.

Seeing that the opposing team was still full of energy, the fans were quite puzzled:

So how did Park Ji-sung's physical fitness decline so rapidly?
Is this guy exaggerating, or is Lin Feng on the other side a physical monster?

The answer is not yet clear, but as the competition continues, everything will become clear.

Just like Park Ji-sung's stamina, the South Korean team was also starting to falter under the continuous attacks of the Chinese team.

After Zheng Zhi joined the attack, the Chinese team's attack became increasingly fierce.

Even without Lin Feng's participation, relying on the midfield combination of Chen Tao, Zheng Zhi, and Shao Jiayi, as well as the tall and fast forward pairing of Han Peng and Mao Jianqing, the Chinese team launched a small offensive surge.

In an attempt to stop China's attack, the South Koreans were forced to resort to fouling tactics, which in turn gave China a fatal set piece.

Whenever a set piece appears, the focus of the game automatically shifts to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng didn't hold back either. He would take the free kicks directly from good positions, and when he was in a slightly worse position, he would coordinate with his teammates.

South Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae faced a tremendous test in those ten minutes, his heart pounding wildly every time the Chinese team won a free kick in the attacking third.

Lin Feng's fame is legendary, and his free kicks are a fearsome presence in the football world, striking terror into the hearts of goalkeepers.

Li Yunzai is at best a second-rate goalkeeper, far inferior to the top goalkeepers in European football.

Even world-class goalkeepers can't stop Lin Feng's free kicks, let alone him?
In the 65th minute of the first half, Sun Da-gao committed a foul on Chen Tao in midfield and received a yellow card.

Taking advantage of this free kick opportunity, Lin Feng delivered a Mihajlovic-esque free kick, sending the ball into the top corner of the goal.

South Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae was helpless against the ball. He is only 1.82 meters tall and had no idea what to do with a ball that went straight into the corner of the net.

The score became 3-0, and at this point, Lin Feng's goal had already secured the victory for the Chinese team.

Park Ji-sung, who had followed Lin Feng diligently for over sixty minutes, shook his head with a wry smile when he saw the opponent score from a free kick. He felt that all his previous efforts and sacrifices had been in vain.

Even if he manages to defend against the opponent, so what?

They still managed to score!
A score of 0-3 means they have no chance of a comeback, and their Asian Cup journey has come to an end.

Thinking of this, Park Ji-sung, whose physical strength was already exhausted, felt utterly hopeless.

On the sidelines, South Korean coach Verbeek's expression remained unchanged when he saw his team concede another goal.

At this moment, he was unusually calm, his thoughts had drifted away from the field, and he was thinking about his future path.

Earlier in the locker room, he had already decided that regardless of the outcome of the match, he would submit his resignation to the Korea Football Association after the game.

This outcome only further solidified his resolve!

The humiliating defeat and elimination from the Asian Cup meant someone had to take the blame. Even if he didn't resign, the Korean Football Association would still use him as a scapegoat.

Rather than letting the other party take action, it's better to resign yourself; that way, you can leave with at least some dignity.

While Verbeek was contemplating his future, the Chinese coaching staff next door were high-fiving and celebrating.

"Isn't it about time to make a change?"

"Well, this score is pretty much set in stone. The players can go warm up now!"

"Who should go up next?"

As soon as the assistant coach finished speaking, the players on the bench sat up straight, puffing out their chests and looking expectantly at Zhu Guanghu.

Zhu Guanghu glanced at it and waved his hand dismissively:
"Everyone, go warm up!"

Give the players something to do, give them some ideas, so they don't sit here gossiping and talking badly about him, especially that kid Gao Lin. In just a few days, who knows how many nicknames he's come up with for himself in private!
In the 70th minute, the Chinese team finally made their first substitution of the match.

Chen Tao and Mao Jianqing were substituted, and Gao Lin and Zhao Xuri came on.

Chen Tao was fouled quite a few times during the game and seemed to have suffered a minor injury. He appeared to be limping when he left the court, which worried many Chinese fans.

With only a few days left until the semifinals, we absolutely cannot afford any injuries at this stage!
If he gets injured, he will likely miss the rest of the matches.

Gao Lin was very active after coming on, and he felt that his position on the team was threatened by Mao Jianqing.

So I hope to seize the time to show myself more and leave a good impression on the coach, so that I may have a chance to start in the semifinals.

However, Gao Lin simply cannot play in the style of Mao Jianqing; he is better at being a wingman for his teammates and assisting them in scoring.

In the 79th minute, the Chinese team once again executed a smooth passing move. With Park Ji-sung's stamina waning, Lin Feng was freed up.

He regained his activity and dribbled past the South Korean defensive midfielder on the right wing before decisively cutting inside.

Facing the interception of center-back Jiang Minshou, Lin Feng controlled the ball, dribbled past him, and shot in one smooth motion.

Li Yunzai made a save, preventing him from scoring his second goal.

But it doesn't matter, the ball that Li Yun saved landed at Zhao Xuri's feet outside the penalty area.

Zhao Yijiao didn't care about anything else. After adjusting his position, he swung his leg and unleashed a powerful shot that blasted into the goal.

With a thud, the ball hit the post and bounced off.

Chaos erupted in the South Korean penalty area. In the ensuing scramble, Gao Lin managed to get the ball, but with his back to the goal, he was unable to shoot.

Just then, Gao Lin spotted Lin Feng's run out of the corner of his eye, and then skillfully flicked the ball away with his heel.

The ball slipped through the defender's small goal and landed squarely in front of Lin Feng.

Lin Feng certainly wouldn't miss such an opportunity, and he took the opportunity to push the ball into the goal before the goalkeeper could make a save.

The score has become 4-0, and this match has turned into a massacre!
Lin Feng, who had completed a hat trick, was quickly substituted by Zhu Guanghu.

Old Zhu saw that Park Ji-sung from the South Korean team had already vomited, and was worried that Lin Feng's physical exertion was too great.

For the sake of the semi-finals, he needs to rest more.

Of course, this also gives him the opportunity to receive cheers from the fans in the stadium alone.

Although it wasn't his home game, many fans in the stands still stood up and applauded Lin Feng as he left the field.

In this contest to determine who is the number one player in Asia, Lin Feng achieved a complete victory.

It's worth mentioning that shortly after he left the field, Park Ji-sung, who was also exhausted, was substituted.

The score remained 4-0 until the final whistle, and the Chinese team ultimately crushed the South Korean team, advancing proudly to the semi-finals!
Only two games left to win the championship!

(End of this chapter)