Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"You played very well in the first half, keep it up in the second half!"

The first thing Zhu Guanghu did upon returning to the locker room was to praise his players.

Both in terms of the result and the course of the game, the Chinese national football team's performance in the first half exceeded his expectations.

But the game isn't over yet, so we can't open the champagne too early.

Zhu Guanghu then explained the tactics for the second half to the players very seriously, asking them to continue to strengthen the attack and maintain pressure on the Japanese defense so that the Japanese team could not focus their energy on counter-attacks.

Judging from the wave of attacks by the Japanese team in the first half, the Japanese team is actually capable of launching threatening attacks.

However, the two defensive midfielders of the national team greatly limited their attack.

Furthermore, with only one striker in the Japanese penalty area, they are easily marked out by the two center-backs of the Chinese team, leaving the Japanese team without any supporting players in the penalty area and forcing them to rely on the individual abilities of their midfielders to create opportunities.

The success rate of this offensive approach is naturally not very high, especially in positional warfare. As long as the Chinese team maintains a complete defensive formation, the Japanese team will not have many options.

It remains to be seen whether Japan's head coach, Osim, will make any adjustments during halftime.

This is a point worth noting, but even if the other side makes adjustments, Zhu Guanghu is prepared.

"With only 45 minutes left in the game, we are just one half away from winning China's first continental championship!"

"Three years ago, we missed the chance to win the championship, but today, we absolutely cannot let such an opportunity slip through our fingers again."

Do you have confidence?

The players responded in unison, "We have confidence!"

"Speak louder, haven't you eaten? Have you no confidence?"

"Have confidence!"

"Very good, go, go fight, seize this opportunity, don't let it become a regret for the rest of your lives!"

Old Zhu's motivational speech reignited the players' slightly cooled enthusiasm.

From the perspective of the Japanese players next door, the Chinese players rushed out of the locker room one by one, yelling excitedly.

Their resolute demeanor made it seem as if they were going to war!
In fact, this match was no different from a battlefield!
Chinese football is too fragile to afford to fall in the Asian Cup final twice in a row.

We cannot afford to lose twice in a row to our arch-rival Japan, with whom we have a deep historical grudge!

Therefore, the Chinese team must win this battle.

But the Japanese team also has reasons why they cannot afford to lose!

If the Chinese team manages to turn the tide this time, they will lose their psychological advantage when they face the Chinese team again in the future.

If they lose too badly this time, they might even develop Sinophobia, just like the South Koreans next door.

Although the South Koreans shouted loudly, clamoring for revenge against the Chinese team, etc.

But if they were given the chance to choose again, they certainly wouldn't want to face the Chinese team in the knockout stage.

This choice, made from the heart, already proves that South Koreans are afraid!

……

The second half began with neither team making any substitutions.

It's understandable that the Chinese team didn't make any substitutions, given that they were leading in the score and had the upper hand in the game.

However, it is puzzling that the Japanese team did not make any substitutions, which has once again raised doubts about Osim's coaching ability.

Before him, the coaching abilities of Japan's two previous head coaches, Philippe Troussier and Zico, were widely recognized in Japanese football.

Zico, in particular, not only led the Japanese team to win the Asian Cup.

It also instilled the genes of Samba football into the Japanese team, which had a far-reaching impact on the future development of Japanese football.

Moreover, both coaches are very decisive and precise in their on-the-spot command and tactical adjustments, which often have an immediate effect.

This advantage does not seem to have continued in the Bosnian population.

At the start of the second half, the Chinese team once again put pressure on Japan and frequently threatened the Japanese goal.

The team's expected offensive performance failed to materialize, and instead, they were surrounded and attacked by the opposing team, which made both the Japanese players on the field and the Japanese fans in the stands extremely anxious.

"The Japanese team needs to make tactical adjustments; the current situation is too passive for them!"

Even the commentators noticed the problem and felt that the Japanese team was in a very bad situation, and if they didn't make substitutions soon, they might concede another goal.

Osim could see it too, but who should he replace him with?
He glanced at the Japanese team's bench, his gaze shifting back and forth between Takaaki Yano and Hisato Sato.

One of these two players is tall and is a rare tall center forward in the history of Japanese football. He can act as a pivot and bridgehead in the frontcourt. He can use his height advantage to score goals and also set up teammates behind him. He has a similar presence to Han Peng on the Chinese team.

The other player is short in stature but fast, with agile footwork and a knack for breaking through defenses, making him a formidable force in counter-attacks.

If the Japanese team wants to play a defensive counter-attacking style, then sending out Hisato Sato is the most appropriate choice.

However, because the Japanese team has always played a possession-based style of play, Hisato Sato has had very few appearances for the Japanese national team and is not highly regarded. Moreover, it wasn't just Osim who did this; several subsequent coaches also subconsciously ignored him.

Given that the two forwards have completely different styles, bringing on different players means that the Japanese team's attacking tactics will also need to be adjusted accordingly.

The Japanese team is not used to playing a defensive counter-attacking style, and besides, they are currently behind in the score and need to push forward to attack.

So after much deliberation, Osim made a decision: replace him with Takaaki Yano!

With reminders from the translator and teaching assistant, Takaaki Yano, filled with excitement and anticipation, quickly ran out to warm up.

Seeing the Japanese team's substitute striker warming up, Zhu Guanghu couldn't help but pay more attention to the Chinese substitutes on the other side.

"Should we substitute Yano Takaaki? Should we make a like-for-like substitution, or take off a midfielder and bring on a striker?"

Currently, the Japanese team has one more midfielder than the Chinese team, but if they weaken their midfield to strengthen their attack, then Zhu Guanghu has something to say!
"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Chen, Xiao Mao, you three go warm up now!"

Zhu Guanghu called out the names of Zhou Haibin, Chen Tao, and Mao Jianqing in one go, and told these three midfielders to go out and warm up.

Seeing players from both sides warming up on the sidelines, the commentators couldn't help but wonder:

"It seems the Japanese team is planning to bring on a striker to strengthen their attack, but the Chinese team seems to have the same idea!"

Of the three players in the Chinese national team's warm-up matches, only Zhou Haibin has some defensive ability; the other two are attacking players.

Mao Jianqing, in particular, is a sharp weapon in counter-attacks. He has already scored 3 goals in the previous matches, and all three goals were scored on counter-attacks!

Zhu Guanghu sent these three players to warm up, intending to continue intensifying the attack.

That's really bold!
But who will Zhu Guanghu choose to replace?
Without keeping everyone waiting too long, in the 55th minute of the second half, the Japanese team made the first substitution.

Kengo Nakamura was substituted off, and Takaaki Yano came on.

Osim's original intention was to substitute one of the two defensive midfielders to further strengthen the attack. However, the cost would be a decrease in midfield control and defensive capabilities. Currently, Japan has fielded two defensive midfielders who can barely contain Lin Feng. If he were to substitute another player, their midfield would definitely be overwhelmed by Lin Feng.

Therefore, after careful consideration, he had no choice but to sacrifice an attacking midfielder to ensure the stability of the backline.

Even without Kengo Nakamura, there are still Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo, as well as two full-backs who can push forward to assist in attacks, so the impact on the attack is relatively small.

But if there is one less defensive midfielder, it will directly affect the balance of the game, and he can't afford to gamble on that.

……

As expected, the opposing team substituted one midfielder with a striker!
Seeing the opponent's substitution option, Zhu Guanghu no longer hesitated and made a decisive move.

Two minutes later, the Chinese team also made its first substitution.

Han Peng left the field, and Chen Tao entered.

Fans on both sides were stunned when they saw China make this substitution.

What does it mean?
Why are the substitutions on both sides completely opposite?

Japan substituted an attacking midfielder with a striker.

China substituted one striker with an attacking midfielder.

This confrontational atmosphere is quite strong!
China's highly targeted substitution excited tens of thousands of neutral fans at the stadium.

With no goals scored in the last few minutes, fans are eager to see the effects of the substitutions made by both teams and hope to see a goal soon!
After making substitutions, the Japanese team indeed changed their offensive tactics.

In the 59th minute, Akira Kaji made a run down the right flank and instead of combining with the players in the middle, he dribbled down the byline and delivered a cross.

This ball was clearly aimed at Takaaki Yano, because the Japanese team hardly used this tactic in the first half.

Takaaki Yano, who had just come on with plenty of energy, had the upper hand in the aerial duel with Li Weifeng. Although his header went wide due to interference from the opponent, winning the ball itself was already a remarkable achievement for the Japanese team.

His header greatly boosted the morale of the Japanese team.

It seems we've found the 'right way' to attack!

However, to the Japanese team's surprise,

Because they were missing a midfielder, while the opponent had an extra one.

With this shift in momentum, Japan's midfield control became increasingly precarious.

Under China's aggressive pressing, Japan lost control of the midfield in less than five minutes.

Osim could no longer sit still; he stood on the sidelines shouting something, clearly dissatisfied with the Japanese players' performance.

In fact, the Japanese players were also very anxious. They were eager to regain possession of the ball, but they frequently committed fouls due to their overly aggressive actions.

Yasuhito Endo even made an elbowing motion during a scramble for the ball.

However, he escaped unscathed because the referee couldn't see it from his angle.

This sparked strong dissatisfaction among the tens of thousands of Chinese fans at the scene. The referee's missed call brought back unpleasant memories, reminding them of the handball incident involving the Japanese team in the penalty area three years ago.

If it weren't for that handball goal, it's uncertain who would have won the last Asian Cup.

Lin Feng didn't waste time appealing to the referee. Instead, while both sides' attention was focused on the referee, he slammed the ball to the ground and kicked it away before he could even stand up!

He opted for a quick free-kick tactic!

It wasn't until he passed the ball out that the Japanese players realized something was wrong.

However, at this moment, the ball had already been passed by Lin Feng to Shao Jiayi's feet!

Shao Jiayi quickly dribbled forward, and after completing a one-two pass with Gao Lin on the left flank, he passed the ball across to the edge of the penalty area.

The opposing defenders and goalkeeper were drawn away by Shao Jiayi, leaving the middle of the field completely empty.

Chen Tao arrived quickly and easily tapped the ball into the empty net, making the score 3-0!

Now it's the Japanese team members who are protesting!
They complained that the Chinese team's free-kick tactics were illegal, but the referee ignored them and pointed to the center circle, indicating that the goal was valid!

Upon seeing the referee's decision, the Chinese fans in the stadium erupted in enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause.

The match had now reached the 67th minute of the second half, with only 20 minutes left before the end of the game, and the score was 3-0!

For Japan to turn the tide, they need to score four goals in the next twenty minutes!
This is absolutely impossible.

Time is running out for the Japanese team!

[Haha, the Japanese team was practically on fire before the match, but they got thrashed 3-0 by the Chinese team. I could have done better in that situation!]

[Don't rush, the game isn't over yet. How do you know the Chinese national team won't score more goals?]

Hey everyone, look! Lin Feng is already calling his teammates back to prepare for the kickoff. They're really going all out!

[Haha, the Japanese team members were completely dumbfounded!]

Anyone who didn't know better would think we were the ones lagging behind!

The score on the field was so unbelievable that many people could hardly believe it.

Brothers, can anyone tell this isn't a dream? Are we really going to win the championship?

Not only ordinary fans couldn't believe the score, but even some retired former national team players couldn't help but doubt their eyes.

Li Ming, the former captain of the Chinese national football team who participated in the last Asian Cup final, has been retired for several years, but he still quietly follows the national team's matches.

When he saw the Chinese team score their third goal, Li Ming couldn't hold back any longer and picked up his phone to call his former national team teammates one by one.

"Old Zhang, have you watched the game?"

"Xiaoyu, did you watch the final today?"

……

"Yes, yes, yes, it was the Asian Cup final, our team beat Japan 3-0!"

"Really, I'm not kidding you. Go check it out, the game isn't over yet!"

"Hehe, these young guys on the national football team have really made us proud. They've accomplished what we couldn't do back then!"

Such sentiments are common among the older generation of football enthusiasts.

Not only Li Ming, but also retired national team players such as Fan Zhiyi, Ma Mingyu, Qi Hong, and Yang Chen, as well as hundreds of millions of fans across China, are paying attention to and enthusiastically discussing this match.

Even though it was almost midnight, everyone was still full of energy.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night, for both Chinese and Japanese fans! (End of Chapter)