Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Denmark truly lives up to its reputation as a European powerhouse, fielding a starting lineup largely composed of players from the top five European leagues.

The goalkeeper is from Stoke City, and the defenders are from Liverpool, Nuremberg, Aston Villa, and Fiorentina.

The four midfielders come from Juventus, Utrecht, Ajax and Werder Bremen respectively.

As for the two forwards, Jundal-Tomasson comes from Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie, and Bendtner comes from Arsenal in the English Premier League.

Although Lin Feng couldn't name most of the opposing midfielders and defenders, he might have a slight recollection of Daniel Agger, a defender who plays for Liverpool, because they had faced each other in the Champions League last year.

But Denmark's attacking line is no joke!
Although Thomason is not well-known in China, his strength should not be underestimated.

This guy played in six different leagues during his career: the Danish First Division, the Dutch First Division, the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, and the German Bundesliga, and achieved great success in the Dutch First Division and Serie A.

In 2002, he led Feyenoord to the Europa League title, and the following year he joined AC Milan as a free agent, where he also won the Champions League title.

Milan's title wasn't something he earned by chance. In his first season with AC Milan, he only scored 4 goals, but 3 of them came in the Champions League, making him a major contributor to Milan's victory.

As for Bendtner, Lin Feng was very familiar with him; he was the famously overconfident man!

It is said that when he first joined the team, he dared to challenge Arsenal's boss Henry, so much so that Wenger had to loan him out and only dared to recall him after Henry left.

After returning, he caused trouble again, challenging Ibrahimovic and boasting that he would surpass Ibrahimovic within three years, which naturally turned into a joke.

However, it must be said that Bendtner's own talent is still very strong.

Putting aside his confidence, he has excellent physical attributes and well-rounded footwork.

Moreover, as a tall center forward who is over 1.9 meters tall, he is also very fast, and at first glance, he really does look a lot like Ibrahimovic.

Such a player would naturally be praised and sought after by all sides. It is said that Arsenal's manager, Wenger, also went to great lengths to persuade him to join Arsenal.

"That's Lin Feng? He doesn't seem like much to me!"

The confident emperor has his sights set on Lin Feng in this match, and he's determined to compete with him.

Both players were born in 88 and joined top clubs with the reputation of being talented players.

The difference is that Lin Feng quickly secured a starting position after joining Inter Milan.

However, after joining Arsenal, Bendtner had a falling out with the senior players and was loaned out to another team.

Bendtner believes that if he hadn't been loaned out, he would be the best player in football right now.

Therefore, he was very unhappy with Lin Feng, believing that this guy had stolen his supreme title.

Thomason didn't want to pay attention to the idiot next to him. He's already the world's number one, and you're still saying he's not good enough?
If you're so awesome, why don't you just fly to the sky?

Seeing that Tomasson ignored him, Bendtner then called out to Denmark's midfielder Jensen:

"Daniel, remember to pass me the ball later. I have a feeling I can complete a hat trick today!"

Jensen's lips twitched. He didn't like being bossed around, but he also didn't want to have a heated argument with his teammates before the game.

Although it was just an ordinary international friendly match, given the prestige of the opposing Nordic Vikings and the fact that it was the Chinese national team's first appearance since the Asian Cup, it was a significant event.

The fans were exceptionally enthusiastic about the game, with over 50,000 fans in attendance at the Workers' Stadium.

The Danish players were surprised, as they had heard that the Chinese were neither good at nor fond of football.

Otherwise, how do you explain why, with so many people in China, there are so few players playing in the top five European leagues, less than half the number in Denmark?

Keep in mind that Denmark's total population is only about 500 million.

But judging from the lively atmosphere at the scene, the rumors seem to be wrong?

Chinese people are clearly very passionate about football, so why is their football level so poor?

This is the first time Denmark and China have faced each other; the two teams have never played each other before.

So at the start of the game, both teams were cautious, probing each other's strengths and weaknesses, and did not launch any rash attacks.

In the 3rd minute, Denmark used their physical advantage to push the line across the halfway line.

Center-back Agger took Denmark's first shot from outside the penalty area, but the shot posed little threat to Wang Dalei's goal.

After the opponent took a shot, the Chinese team quickly retaliated.

In the fourth minute of the first half, the Chinese national football team intercepted the ball and launched a counter-attack.

Lin Feng passed the ball to the wing, Mao Jianqing dribbled down the wing and crossed the ball, Gao Lin in the penalty area got to the ball and swept it into the net, completing China's first shot.

Unfortunately, Gao Lin failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and his shot was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.

Within a minute, both teams had their first shot on goal.

While the number of shots on goal appeared to be equal, the Chinese team's counter-attacks actually posed a greater offensive threat.

Seeing this, the Danish team immediately intensified their midfield pressing and prevented the Chinese team from launching counter-attacks with long passes by pushing their defensive line forward to create an offside trap.

This tactic worked quite well. The Danish team members were all tall, strong, and physically imposing, making it impossible for the Chinese team to compete with them physically.

The static skills of Chinese football players are not bad; what they lack is dynamic skills. Once they encounter physical contact from opponents on the field, they easily become unable to withstand it, resulting in distorted movements.

The older generation of players is a little better off, but the problem is more serious for the new generation of players because, in addition to their lack of physical strength, they also have poor mental fortitude.

When the opponent intensifies their attack, they easily panic, lose their composure, and make mistakes, giving the opponent an opportunity.

At this point, the Danish team used their physical advantage to make it difficult for the Chinese players to stand firm.

Old Zhu couldn't stand it anymore watching from the sidelines. When they played against Germany before, the Chinese national team's physical disadvantage wasn't this obvious!

Why does this Danish team seem even tougher than the German team?

After thinking about it, I feel it's because there are too many young players on the field. The veteran players have accumulated a wealth of experience, and even if their physical abilities are inferior to their opponents, they can still rely on their rich experience to compete with them.

Young players lack experience, and their bodies haven't fully developed yet, so their physical attributes are inferior to those of older players. Meanwhile, the opponent is fielding their strongest lineup.

This ebb and flow makes the Chinese national football team appear incredibly vulnerable on the field.

"Why don't we make a substitution? Bringing on an experienced player would be much more effective!"

Zhu Guanghu sincerely offered this advice to Klaus Toppmöller, but Toppmöller declined his offer:

"It's okay. It's good for young people to suffer a little and learn a lesson. That way, when they encounter opponents with similarly excellent physical abilities at the Olympics, they will know how to deal with them."

Denmark is a top-30 team in the world, and a Nordic team known for its physical prowess.

The national Olympic team will gain valuable experience here, making it much easier to handle other teams of similar age who rely on physical advantages in the future. Furthermore, this national team also includes some veteran players.

The Olympics implements the U23 policy, which allows players to bring three players over the age of 23.

Of the three veteran player slots, Klaus Toppmöller has only confirmed Zheng Zhi as his choice so far.

The other two positions should, in principle, be reserved for the forward and defense positions.

The forward line of this national Olympic team is actually very strong. The combination of Dong Fangzhuo and Gao Lin is enough to deal with most opponents.

However, the defense is relatively weak, so Klaus Toppmöller prefers to reserve the remaining two spots for the defense.

However, he wants to replace all three defenders except Feng Xiaoting.

Li Weifeng, who has excellent chemistry with Feng Xiaoting in the national team, is someone he wants to bring along. Although Feng is almost thirty years old, he is, at least domestically, the strongest center-back, bar none.

As for the full-back positions, he has his eye on Sun Xiang and Sun Jihai from the national team.

Sun Jihai has stronger individual skills, but he is a bit older, and injuries have caused his performance to decline.

Sun Xiang is slightly younger, but his strength is not as good as Sun Jihai's. In addition, Sun Xiang's abstract cross made him shake his head. Therefore, he is still slightly inclined to coach Sun Jihai.

The two were chatting on the sidelines while the Chinese national football team was getting beaten up on the field.

During those few minutes, Bendtner was incredibly arrogant.

He's supposed to be a striker, but he insists on playing like a midfielder.

He was dribbling past his teammates and assisting them; anyone who didn't know him would think he was Denmark's number 10!
Jensen and the other Danish midfielders were furious but dared not speak out against Bendtner's overstepping of his bounds.

There was no way around it; Bendtner was the coach's darling.

The Danish coach believes that Bendtner's selection by Wenger indicates a promising future, and therefore intends to groom him as the core of the next generation of the Danish team.

In addition, since this was just a friendly match and the opponent didn't seem very strong, there was no rush to intervene.

With the coach indulging him and his teammates unable to control him, Bendtner became even more outrageous.

In the 10th minute, Denmark intercepted the ball in the attacking third. After receiving the ball, Bendtner did not think about shooting, but instead showed off his footwork, even trying to get past Feng Xiaoting.

Feng Xiaoting didn't tolerate him and kicked him to the ground.

Bendtner clutched his leg and screamed on the ground, but strangely, none of the other Danish players came to his aid.

This shows just how unpopular he is within the team.

His teammates didn't stand up for him, but the referee didn't show any favoritism.

After showing a yellow card to Feng Xiaoting for the foul, the referee awarded Denmark a free kick in a good position in the attacking third.

Paulson opted for a long-range shot, forcing Wang Dalei to make an incredible save.

The Chinese team then retaliated, with Lin Feng successfully dribbling the ball through the opponent's blockade and into the attacking third by combining with the wingers and making his own runs.

His appearance served as a wake-up call for the Danish defense, and at that moment, almost all of the Danish defenders were sprinting back to defend.

Lin Feng played with far more experience than Bendtner. When the pace of the attack should have been increased, he didn't hesitate at all, nor did he try to show off.

Seeing that Gao Lin had created space to the left, Lin Feng delivered a precise 30-meter low through ball.

Gao Lin understood immediately, and after receiving the ball, he rushed into the penalty area. While the opposing defender was drawn to him, he passed the ball to the center of the penalty area.

Dong Fangzhuo arrived quickly and slid in to send the ball into the opponent's goal.

The score became 1-0. Despite the situation being clearly unfavorable to them, the Chinese team, playing at home, took the lead with a counter-attack and excellent teamwork from their front three.

Dong Fangzhuo, who scored the goal, was overjoyed and immediately celebrated with a sliding knee celebration.

The tens of thousands of fans who came to the scene were also extremely excited, shouting the names of Dong Fangzhuo and other players loudly, with cheers rising one after another.

Because the opponent was very strong and showed great dominance in the game, no one expected that the Chinese national team, which was at a disadvantage, would score first, which is why they were so surprised.

Klaus Toppmöller was discussing with Zhu Guanghu who should be taken to the Olympics when a thunderous cheer suddenly erupted from the stadium.

The two turned their heads and saw Dong Fangzhuo break down the door and then slide to his knees in celebration.

"Was this within your expectations?"

Zhu Guanghu looked at Klaus Toppmöller with some surprise. He said he didn't care about winning or losing, but he had already arranged his tactics, which was why he looked so calm and composed.
"No, I thought the other side would score first."

Klaus Toppmöller was also quite surprised. The opponent's pressure was so strong that the Chinese team could barely pass the ball around. It was truly unexpected that they could still score under such circumstances.

After consulting with the teaching assistant, it was discovered that Lin Feng had orchestrated the attack, and Klaus Toppmöller immediately understood.

Oh, it was him. That makes sense.

Can we win this game?

Zhu Guanghu is no longer interested in discussing who will participate in the Olympics; he is more interested in whether the Chinese national football team has a chance to defeat Denmark.

Although the players on the field are from the Olympic team, they are still playing under the name of the national football team.

This match was, after all, a legitimate A-level international friendly, and the opponent was ranked higher than the Chinese national team.

If the Chinese national football team can defeat their opponents, they will gain a lot of points, which may help them improve their ranking in the latest FIFA rankings next month!

"We can't win. The Danish team isn't fully serious yet. Once they start playing seriously, the Chinese Olympic team will be crushed!"

Klaus Toppmöller shook his head. He had said that he didn't care about winning or losing; his only purpose was to train his troops.

He actually predicted how the game would unfold. The Danish team, who were unexpectedly behind, started to take things more seriously.

In the 27th minute, Denmark crossed the ball from the right wing, and Tomasson got past the defender and scored in the penalty area, leveling the score.

In the 37th minute, Denmark repeated their tactic, with Bendtner heading the ball into the net from 10 yards out at the far post.

Denmark has taken the lead.

Although Lin Feng managed to equalize the score for China in the second half with a long-range shot.

But after Denmark brought on Gronkjaer, the exhausted Chinese defenders could no longer withstand the opponent's attacks.

In the 74th minute of the second half, substitute Gronkjaer scored, putting the team ahead again.

Ultimately, the Chinese national football team lost 2-3 to the Nordic Vikings, Denmark, at home, suffering a disappointing defeat. (End of Chapter)