Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

As expected of two top teams that have dominated the Asian Cup for the past six years, the match between Japan and Saudi Arabia was incredibly intense.

Saudi Arabia launched a surprise attack at the start of the match, almost catching the Japanese team off guard.

Once they realized what was happening, the Japanese team tightened their control of possession, reaching an astonishing 75% in the first ten minutes.
However, the two teams are evenly matched. Japan's high possession rate is clearly due to Saudi Arabia intentionally giving up possession and choosing to strengthen their defense.

As expected, despite having the advantage in possession, the Japanese team struggled to break the deadlock, while Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 35th minute with a set piece combination in the attacking third.

The goal was scored by Saudi Arabia's number 9 striker, Yasser al-Qahtani.

This is his fourth goal in this Asian Cup. In a typical Asian Cup, this number of goals would be enough to put him at the top of the scoring charts.

However, due to the presence of four relatively weak host nations in this year's Asian Cup, coupled with the unexpected rise of the Chinese team, Yasser, who scored four goals, could only tie for second place on the top scorer list with Naohiro Takahara of Japan, Gao Lin and Chen Tao of China.

Above these four is Lin Feng, who scored 9 goals in 5 games.

This precipitous lead meant that the other shooters could only compete for second place on the leaderboard, and were powerless to challenge Lin Feng's top position.

How outrageous is Lin Feng's data?
It wasn't that exaggerated, just another Asian Cup record broken casually!
Prior to this, the record for most goals scored in a single Asian Cup was set by Iranian legend Ali Daei in the 1996 Asian Cup.

In that Asian Cup, the Iranians scored 8 goals as if possessed by gods. In the quarter-final against South Korea, they achieved an incredible four goals, helping Iran to a 6-2 thrashing of South Korea.

This is the only time in Asian Cup history that a team has scored four goals.

……

Is the Japanese team going to lose?

"Not yet. The Japanese team just hasn't found a way to score yet, but with their midfield control, it's only a matter of time before they score!"

"Oh!"

Liu Yifei seemed somewhat disappointed upon hearing this, prompting Lin Feng to turn and glance at her.

"I've heard that the Japanese team is very strong. I was wondering if it would be easier for you guys if Saudi Arabia were the team that made it to the final?"

Is this a sign of caring about oneself?
Recalling the moment he kissed her, he was caught off guard when, after a moment of surprise, she responded passionately.

It seems that the fairy sister only appears aloof on the outside, but is actually warm-hearted on the inside.

"The Japanese team and the Saudi team have two different styles. One emphasizes individual combat, while the other focuses on teamwork. It's hard to say which one is stronger, but for us, the Japanese team is relatively easier to deal with, since we are more familiar with them!"

"Oh, in that case, let's let the Japanese team win!"

After hearing Lin Feng's words, the fairy sister immediately changed her mind and started supporting the Japanese team.

Lin Feng found the other party's reaction somewhat amusing; they really had a flexible stance!

However, he didn't mind at all, and was even a little touched, because he could feel the other person's concern.

Just as Lin Feng predicted, the Japanese team equalized the score with a corner kick in just two minutes.

The second half saw an even more intense match, with Saudi Arabia scoring again in the 46th minute through a cross from the wing, making the score 2-1.
The situation was extremely dangerous for the Japanese team at this point. The Saudis launched a relentless offensive, wave after wave, keeping Japan's goalkeeper, Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, busy in front of the goal. Only through his excellent saves could he prevent the opponent from widening the score gap further.

But good fortune didn't last. In the 50th minute of the second half, Saudi Arabia's active full-back, Bahri, was injured and had to leave the field while clearing the ball in front of the goal.

His injury and subsequent withdrawal became the turning point of the match.

Just three minutes after he left the field, Yuki Abe received a pass from his teammate and tied the score.

In the final stages of the match, Naohiro Takahara received a brilliant pass from Shunsuke Nakamura and slotted the ball home inside the penalty area, giving Japan the lead.

Saudi Arabia launched a furious counterattack, but unfortunately hit the woodwork twice and ultimately fell to their arch-rivals Japan by a single goal.

After defeating the formidable Saudi Arabian team, the Japanese team achieved the feat of reaching the Asian Cup final for the third consecutive time and is now aiming for a three-peat in the Asian Cup.

Their opponent in the final is their old rival – the Chinese team!

"It's a narrow escape! The Chinese national football team will face Japan again in the Asian Cup final!"

Japan narrowly defeats Saudi Arabia, advancing to the final for the third consecutive year!

West Asian teams all eliminated, Asian Cup final to be an all-East Asian affair!

Japan's head coach: I'm confident I can lead the team to a third consecutive Asian Cup title!

Can the Chinese national football team overcome its mental block and avenge its defeat against Japan?

After the Japanese team advanced to the final, major media outlets published this news on their front pages.

Chinese fans were thrilled when they learned that their opponent in the final would be Japan.

Japan made it to the finals! Guys, I'm so nervous!

What's the rush? Just get to work!

I believe in the national football team, I believe in Lin Feng. We are very strong this year, we will definitely succeed!

Fans were both happy and worried; happy because they finally had a chance to avenge their loss to the Japanese team.

The concern is that the Japanese team is very strong, and the Chinese national team may not be able to beat them.

If the Chinese team cannot defeat the Japanese team, it will never be able to break out of Asia and will never become a world-class team!

That's right, the Japanese team is the last mountain, the last river, standing in our way. Only by overcoming it can we see the even more beautiful scenery outside!

More than 1,200 years ago, our ancestors had the ambition to "ascend to the summit and survey all the mountains below." How can we, now, succumb to the tyranny of our adversaries?

Yes, the Japanese team is strong, but so what? My swordsmanship is just as good. I believe the Chinese team will definitely avenge their defeat and reach the top of Asia!

Because of the strength of their opponents, the fans no longer had the relaxed attitude they had in the previous matches.

Japan is the champion of the past two Asian Cups and a nemesis for the Chinese national team.

The two teams' past head-to-head record, especially the almost one-sided record since 1998, makes Chinese fans extremely pessimistic.

Therefore, even though the national football team has improved, fans are still very worried, fearing that the team will repeat the mistakes of three years ago.

Compared to this year's final, fans had higher hopes and greater expectations for the national team during the Asian Cup held on home soil three years ago, but the national team disappointed them that time.

Having been disappointed once, fans still dare not place too much hope in this situation, even though they know it will be different this time.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

……

"As expected, it's the Japanese team!"

Zhu Guanghu had anticipated this result, so he didn't seem surprised at all.

Actually, the Japanese team is relatively easier to beat. Saudi Arabia's players have very strong individual skills, putting the Chinese team at a disadvantage in one-on-one situations.

In addition, Saudi Arabia likes to utilize the individual abilities of its players in the attacking third to create brilliant and highly creative attacking combinations that are difficult for opponents to defend against.

Compared to them, the Japanese team emphasizes teamwork more and has a fixed offensive routine. Although the players have solid skills, their physical qualities are not outstanding, and their impact and physical strength are not as good as those of West Asian teams.

More importantly, the Japanese team's forwards are indeed not strong, making them easier to defend against compared to Saudi Arabia.

As for how to play against Japan, Saudi Arabia already provided the answer in the last match.

By utilizing the wing play and individual player abilities, we can increase the speed and launch repeated attacks on the Japanese defense, keeping them constantly on the run.

In positional play, the Japanese team's defense is quite good, but once they get into open play, they can't get into position and can only rely on the individual skills of their players to limit the opponent's attack.

One-on-one duels are not a strong point for this Japanese team, and their guards do not have the ability to defend against world-class players one-on-one.

Therefore, after watching the Saudi Arabia match, Zhu Guanghu immediately thought of a way to deal with the Japanese team—to maximize Lin Feng's advantages, concentrate all resources to help him, and let him break through the opponent's defense!

For Chinese football, this is not only a battle for hegemony in East Asian football, but also a revenge that has been awaited for three years!

Zhu Guanghu hopes to be the one who leads Chinese football to revenge and the top!
……

The final of this Asian Cup was held in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. In order to adapt to the local environment in advance, the Chinese team flew to Jakarta the day after defeating Vietnam to advance to the final.

Jakarta, located on the northwest coast of Java, is the largest city in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

This city boasts a superior geographical location and beautiful natural environment, making it a perfect destination for tourism.

Unfortunately, they came to compete and had no time to go on vacation, and Old Zhu showed no intention of giving them a break.

July is the dry season in Jakarta.

There is less rainfall this season, and the air humidity is relatively lower, which is slightly better than in Kuala Lumpur.

But because of its lower latitude, the sun shines exceptionally brightly in Jakarta.

The Chinese national football team players had just gotten off the plane and were waiting for the team bus when they were exposed to the sun outside the airport for a while. They all looked wilted and listless, like eggplants that had been hit by frost.

"This sun is so strong! I was only out in the sun for a short while, and I feel like my skin is about to peel off!"

"No wonder Indonesians are all so dark-skinned. With this blazing sun, if we stayed here for a week, our skin would be as dark as Bao Zheng's!"

"Luckily, the match was scheduled for the evening, otherwise I suspect I would have fainted from the heat!"

"Don't get too excited yet. Although the match is scheduled for the evening, training is during the day!"

"Huh? Old Zhu, Old Zhu, can't you rest during the day and train at night?"

Zhu Guanghu rolled his eyes at the other person, telling him to figure it out for himself.

"Just apply sunscreen properly, you're a grown man, don't be so delicate!"

Training definitely cannot be scheduled for the evening; a professional athlete's biological clock is very important and cannot be easily disrupted.

Otherwise, it could easily affect their performance in the competition, especially since there are only three days left until the finals.

There's simply not enough time for them to adjust their biological clocks, so the players just have to grit their teeth and persevere for a few more days.

In fact, compared to the Chinese team, the Japanese team members, who come from a higher latitude region, seemed less adapted to Jakarta's climate.

Chinese players at least have a subtropical city like Guangzhou to help them adapt in advance, but Japanese players don't have such a place.

Zhu Guanghu asked the players to prepare sun protection items, and before Lin Feng could even start buying them, someone had already thoughtfully prepared them for him.

"This is a sun-protective shirt, this is sunscreen, this is a sun hat, these are sunglasses, and..."

Watching the other person chatter on and on, like a wife giving instructions to her husband who was going on a long trip, Lin Feng couldn't help but smile.

"Stop laughing, I'm being serious. Remember what I said?"

Lin Feng nodded. Since the other party was so serious, he couldn't let them down.

"Never, ever get a tan! You'll look ugly if you get a tan!"

Uh……

Lin Feng was speechless. Sure enough, women are all obsessed with looks!

Oh? So it's me too!

That’s okay!

……

The Chinese national football team resumed training on the second day after arriving in Jakarta.

Because the afternoon temperature was very high and the ultraviolet radiation was also very strong, the coaching team divided the outdoor training into two time periods.

From 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

During the lunch break, players can engage in indoor recovery or strength training. The specific training content and intensity can be adjusted based on the individual player's condition.

In this way, after deducting the time for meals and washing up, it can basically ensure that the players get eight hours of sufficient rest.

Before training began, Zhu Guanghu gathered the players together to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent in the final – the Japanese team.

"This Japanese team likes to arrange their formation around Shunsuke Nakamura. In the final, they may field a 2-1-2 formation in midfield."

Shunsuke Nakamura is in the center, with Yasuhito Endo and Kengo Nakamura on the left and right sides respectively, and Yuki Abe and Keita Suzuki in the defensive midfield positions.

This formation strengthens control in the midfield, allowing the Japanese team to easily gain possession of the ball and thus take control of the game.

Japan's two full-backs, Akira Kaji and Tomoko Komano, are very prone to pushing forward. When the team is in control of the game, they will make frequent forward runs. In addition, Japan's two wingers are capable of dribbling, passing, and making runs.

With Shunsuke Nakamura as their core player and supporting him on the flanks, the Japanese team is very adept at using their numerical advantage to create small-scale attacking plays in the flanks, thereby breaking through the opponent's defense.

Therefore, when defending, one must be wary of both the opponent's full-backs crossing from the byline and their wingers penetrating the flanks.

Zhu Guanghu clearly did a lot of work in advance; much of the information may have been collected and organized before the start of the Asian Cup.

Clearly, he was prepared for the possibility of the Chinese national football team facing Japan.

Or perhaps, in order to lead the national football team to the top of Asia, he thoroughly studied all of the national team's competitors!

Leading the national football team to victory in the Asian Cup wasn't just talk; he was serious! (End of Chapter)