Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

China wins the Asian Cup!

After a 32-year wait, Chinese football has finally reached the top of Asia!

China's national football team exacts perfect revenge, securing a resounding 5-0 victory and utterly crushing Japan!

FIFA President congratulates China on winning the championship!

Lin Feng sweeps both the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards at this year's Asian Cup!

……

After the competition, the reporters demonstrated their professionalism by working through the night to finish their articles and publishing them in the shortest possible time.

Although it was close to midnight in China, when these reports appeared on the internet, they triggered a surge of activity among lurking fans, with posts and comments refreshing at a rate of dozens or even hundreds per second.

We are the champions!

We finally won the championship!

[The Chinese national football team is awesome! Lin Feng is awesome! Zhu Guanghu is awesome!]

I never imagined I'd live to see the Chinese team win the championship!

Brothers, I just had a dream that the Chinese team beat the Japanese team 5-0 and won the Asian Cup...

Brother, this isn't a dream, it's real! If you don't believe me, turn on your TV right now, tune to CCTV-1, and watch the evening news!

As soon as these words were spoken, many fans quickly switched channels to see if CCTV-1's news broadcast had actually reported the news of the Chinese national football team's victory.

"Breaking news! In the just-concluded 14th Asian Cup final, the Chinese team defeated the defending champion Japan team with a score of 5-0 to win the championship of this Asian Cup!"
This is the first time the Chinese team has won the Asian Cup since 1976!

They actually appeared on TV?

With CCTV-1's endorsement, no one doubted the authenticity of this news anymore.

In fact, CCTV not only reported on the result of the match, but also connected with reporters on site to interview the head coach and players of the national football team.

Lin Feng was the focus of attention for reporters at the scene. After the game, reporters who wanted to interview him lined up all the way from the mixed zone to the players' tunnel.

"Lin Feng, hello. The Chinese team has just won its first championship in team history. How do you feel right now?"

After the CCTV reporter finished speaking, he handed the microphone to Lin Feng and indicated that it was being broadcast live.

After winning the championship, Lin Feng was in a good mood and originally planned to joke around a bit, but when he saw that the interviewer was a CCTV reporter and that it was being broadcast live, he immediately restrained himself and answered seriously:
"I am extremely excited right now. This championship is of great significance to me, my teammates, and even Chinese football. We have been waiting for this championship trophy for 32 years, and there was also the huge regret of the last final. Today, we have finally achieved our wish!"

Seeing that Lin Feng spoke with great sincerity, the reporter continued to ask:
"FIFA President Sepp Blatter just said in an interview that he looks forward to hearing the voice of Chinese football on the World Cup stage, and many fans in China are also hoping to qualify for the World Cup again. After winning the Asian Cup, what are your expectations for the national team's performance going forward? Are you confident in leading the national team to qualify for the World Cup again?"

When the CCTV reporter asked the second question, he used a word that seemed like a linguistic trap—"lead".

If it were a regular reporter, Lin Feng might suspect that the other party was trying to trick him.

But these are CCTV reporters, and CCTV reporters generally have a more official stance, unlike those tabloids that deliberately try to trap players by setting linguistic traps in their questions in order to gain traffic.

So, that's really what the other person thinks, judging from the reactions of others around them.

None of them expressed any doubt about the CCTV reporter's question, and they all clearly agreed with the other party's statement.

The eyes of the masses are discerning. What were the national football team's performances like a few years ago, and what are their performances like now?

Everyone knows what's going on!
Moreover, Lin Feng scored a staggering 12 goals in this Asian Cup, including three hat-tricks, one of which was the first hat-trick in the history of the Asian Cup final.

If this performance isn't enough to be considered the team's star player, then I don't know what kind of performance would be worthy of that title.

From the outside perspective, it is a fact that all fans agree that Lin Feng is the absolute core of this Chinese team.

Therefore, the reporter's words were not meant to be flattering or a trap; he was simply stating an objective fact!

In response to the reporter's second question, Lin Feng smiled and replied:
"President Blatter really has high hopes for us, but as he said, I also feel it's time to break out of Asia and see the world on a bigger stage!"

"So please rest assured, our fans, we will do our best in next year's World Cup qualifiers to secure a ticket to the South Africa World Cup!"

……

"You shouldn't have said that to the reporter!"

Inside the locker room, Zhu Guanghu spoke to Lin Feng with a complicated expression.

While Lin Feng was being interviewed by reporters, he was also entangled by another group of reporters and couldn't get away.

After he finished his work, he learned that Lin Feng had already made a pledge to qualify for the World Cup during a live interview with CCTV reporters.

This shocked and puzzled Zhu Guanghu.

Given Lin Feng's emotional intelligence, doesn't he know that such a statement will bring him enormous public pressure?

This matter clearly has nothing to do with him. He could have handled it himself, just like before. There was absolutely no need for him to get involved.

Lin Feng shook his head: "Since everyone thinks I am the core and leader of this team, then I have an obligation to take on the responsibilities that a leader should bear. Just like you did before, taking the initiative to share the pressure with the team and players is also the duty of a team leader!"

Lin Feng is to the Chinese national team what Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are to the Lakers and Cavaliers, respectively.

They are the leaders of their respective teams, and when people mention these teams, they automatically think of them.

If the Lakers and Cavaliers lose, they will be the ones criticized.

There's no escaping it, because for every benefit you enjoy, you have to bear the corresponding price.

I can't claim credit for winning a game and blame myself for losing; if the team loses, I don't lose.

That's so tasteless...

Zhu Guanghu was stunned for a moment, and didn't know how to refute it.

Because he felt that what the other party said made a lot of sense, Old Zhu felt very gratified.

Because he truly saw in Lin Feng the excellent qualities that a qualified team leader should possess.

……

Lin Feng was unaware of the enormous sensation his statement caused in China.

The fans were already thrilled by the Chinese national football team's historic victory in the Asian Cup, and now, hearing Lin Feng's pledge to lead the team into the World Cup, they were overjoyed.

[It's Chinese New Year! This time, the fans are truly celebrating!] [If anyone else said this, I'd just consider it nonsense, but since it came from Lin Feng, I'd believe it about 70-80%!]

[A rational analysis shows that Asia has 4.5 spots in the World Cup qualifiers. Since the Chinese national team was able to win the Asian Cup, it means that the Chinese national team has the level of a top Asian team.]

In this Asian Cup, the Chinese national football team first defeated Iran, then South Korea, and finally thrashed Japan by a large margin, scoring more than four goals in each game. This shows that even when facing top Asian teams, the Chinese national football team has the advantage.

Therefore, barring any major unforeseen circumstances, it's almost a certainty that the Chinese national football team will secure one of those 4.5 spots!

Let me be frank: as long as Lin Feng doesn't get injured and the national team doesn't experience widespread injuries, the chances of the Chinese national team directly qualifying for the World Cup are very high!

In the past, people always felt that the World Cup only gave Asia 4.5 slots, which was not enough, because the Chinese national football team was always left out of the quota by just a little bit.

But now, after seeing the strength the national football team has shown in the Asian Cup, fans are brimming with confidence in the team and are even starting to think that 4.5 slots might be too many.

Even if the Chinese national team loses one, the Japanese and South Korean teams still have a chance to break through.

They are certainly happy that the Chinese national football team can participate in the World Cup, but they would be even happier if the Chinese national football team participated while Japan and South Korea could not.

Seemingly to corroborate the fans' speculation, after the Asian Cup ended.

FIFA's official website also quickly published the latest world rankings.

Thanks to their outstanding performance in the Asian Cup, especially their perfect record against Iran, South Korea and Japan, the Chinese team's points soared by more than 50.

Their overall ranking rose by more than ten places, reaching 35th.

This ranking surpasses the 37th place achieved in December 1998, becoming the highest ranking in the history of the Chinese national football team.

This news has once again attracted strong attention and heated discussion from domestic media and fans.

The Chinese national football team's ranking has skyrocketed at an astonishing speed, it's like they've taken off on a rocket!

Who would have thought that just two years ago, the Chinese national football team was hovering outside the top 70 in the world rankings?

Since losing the Asian Cup on home soil, the Chinese national football team's ranking has been steadily declining. At its worst, it fell to eighth place in Asia. It seemed like the team was destined to continue its downward spiral, but surprisingly, it has now broken into the top three!

[Thirty-fifth place is considered a top team in Asia, but even on a global scale, they could be considered a second-tier team!]

While being called a second-rate team may sound unpleasant, becoming one is no easy feat.

There are simply too many traditional football powerhouses in the world: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, France, Spain, England, the Netherlands... These are all top teams, and in almost every World Cup, some of them are considered favorites to win.

Behind them are top-tier teams like Portugal, Mexico, and Uruguay.

Then come second-tier teams like Japan and China.

Very few teams in Asia can reach this level.

Unfortunately, although the Japanese team lost to the Chinese team, they gained a lot of points in their matches against other teams, which slightly increased their overall score and kept their ranking stable at 30th, remaining firmly in first place in Asia.

However, the gap between the Chinese and Japanese teams is not large, only 18 points. With the current momentum of the Chinese national team, they can overtake Japan after winning a few more games.

Unfortunately, from now until the start of next year's World Cup qualifiers, there are six or seven months in between when the Chinese national football team has no major tournaments to play and can only arrange friendly matches with some teams.

However, the points coefficient for friendly matches is relatively low, so even if you win, you won't get many points.

Moreover, the Japanese team won't be idle. If they want to catch up with this 18-point gap, they probably won't have a chance until the World Cup qualifiers start.

……

In FIFA's latest rankings, apart from the Chinese and Japanese teams either rising or remaining in the rankings.

Other Asian teams have seen their points and rankings decline.

Iran's points dropped slightly, falling from 38th to 40th place, and they are currently ranked third in Asia.

South Korea's early elimination and poor performance in the group stage caused them to drop more than 20 points in one go.

Its ranking dropped directly from 41st to 50th, and it is currently ranked fourth in Asia.

Following them were the Australian team and the Saudi team, both tied for 52nd place.

Australia's performance in this Asian Cup has been terrible, dragging down their ranking significantly. They dropped nearly 20 places from their previous 30s, even worse than South Korea.

The Australians joined the AFC with the intention of securing one of the 4.5 available slots and dominating weaker teams.

Unexpectedly, these Asian teams turned out to be tough opponents. They tried to steal a chicken but lost their rice instead. They didn't gain any benefits and ended up being almost stripped naked. This made many Australians regret their decision.

In Oceania, with their strength, securing that 0.5 spot shouldn't be a problem.

But in Asia, surrounded by formidable rivals, let alone direct qualification, even that 0.5 spot seems quite precarious!

Following Australia and Saudi Arabia are Uzbekistan and Iraq, both ranked outside the top 60.

Basically, these seven teams are the main opponents of the Chinese national football team in the World Cup qualifiers.

To secure a ticket to the World Cup, they need to find a way to eliminate four of these teams!

Due to the large number of participating teams and the limited number of qualifying spots, the rules for the World Cup qualifiers in the Asian region are quite complex.

Teams with lower rankings need to start from the qualifiers, and finally 20 teams will be selected to participate in the final round of 20.

The Chinese national football team is currently ranked second in Asia. Because of its high ranking, it will not need to participate in the qualifying matches held in October and will start directly from the final round of 20.

The 20-team qualifying round will be held in February next year. The groups will be determined by a draw, with the 20 teams divided into five groups. The top two teams from each group will directly advance to the 10-team qualifying round.

The teams participating in the final round of 10 will be divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group directly qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

As for the final 0.5 qualifying spot, the two third-placed teams from each group will play two additional matches.

The winner of the play-offs will participate in the intercontinental play-offs to compete against teams from other continents for the final qualifying spot.

Since Asian football is relatively weak on a global scale, this half-spot is basically a freebie.

If you want to qualify for the South Africa World Cup, it's best to secure one of the four direct qualification spots.

Given the current strength of the Chinese national football team, as long as they are not drawn into a particularly tough group and do not encounter any major unforeseen events, their chances of advancing are still very high.

The thought of the World Cup qualifiers that will determine World Cup tickets next year, along with the Olympic Games held on home soil, has fans eagerly anticipating the event.

Some people even felt that time was passing too slowly, wishing it were already 2008 so they wouldn't have to wait a moment longer. (End of Chapter)