Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

A major event occurred in the football world during the national Olympic team's training camp.

The French team, the runner-up of the last World Cup, pulled off a stunning upset in the group stage of the European Championship.

In the three group stage matches, the French were first held to a draw by Romania, and then suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Dutch.

In their final do-or-die match against Italy, their World Cup final opponent, bad luck seemed to have struck the French once again.

Ribery was injured and forced to leave the field early in the first half, and Abidal was sent off with a red card for an unsportsmanlike foul.

Italy seized the opportunity, with Pirlo and De Rossi scoring a goal in each half to defeat France once again.

The last time the French lost to Italy, they lost the World Cup title.

This time, losing to the same opponent again, the French lost their chance to advance from the group stage.

After three matches, with one draw, two losses, and only one goal scored, the French team finished bottom of the group and was eliminated in disgrace.

This result shocked Europe and the entire football world!
Although everyone knows that the strength of this French team has been significantly affected after Zidane's retirement.

However, in pre-tournament predictions, many still considered this French team a strong favorite to win the championship.

However, the final result was a huge surprise to the outside world, with the World Cup runner-up suffering a humiliating defeat.

After the match, French coach Domenech's player selections were met with fierce criticism from French fans.

They believed that Domenech was stubborn and closed-minded, only choosing veterans from the 98 generation whom he trusted and unwilling to give newcomers a chance, which led to such a crushing defeat.

However, this attack is somewhat biased.

Although Domenech continued to use the core lineup from previous World Cups in the European Championship, he still chose to rely on veterans such as Henry, Vieira, Thuram, Makelele, and Sagnol to lead the team.

However, he did not completely deny opportunities to young players. Ribery, who performed well in both Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga, Benzema, who won the Ligue 1 Golden Boot this season, and Nasri, who is regarded as Zidane's successor, have all been given important roles under his leadership.

However, neither Ribery nor Nasri could replace the key problem of the French team lacking a core player after Zidane's retirement.

In these three matches, the French players were like a bunch of headless flies on the field. Lacking Zidane's link-up and organization, they simply couldn't put together an effective attack.

The only remaining option was to look for opportunities by utilizing Ribery's breakthroughs on the wing. However, once Ribery was injured and substituted, the fate of the French team was sealed.

Originally, this match had nothing to do with Lin Feng, who was thousands of miles away.

But France's defeat has once again made people realize the crucial role a playmaker plays for a team.

This also put Lin Feng in the spotlight, with many people comparing him to Zidane.

The reason for comparing the two is not only because their positions overlap and their functions are similar.

Furthermore, Lin Feng's current team is Zidane's former club.

However, without Zidane, the French team went from being a World Cup runner-up to failing to advance from the group stage, while Real Madrid, after Zidane's departure, not only did not experience a collapse in performance, but also won the league and Champions League double.

The only difference is that the French team didn't find Zidane's successor, but Real Madrid found Lin Feng.

This made the French wonder, why isn't Lin Feng French?

If he were French, then this French supercar would have been fitted with a new, more powerful engine, and their performance in this European Cup would definitely not have been so dismal.

But it wasn't just French fans who coveted Lin Feng; British fans were equally eager.

For years, the British team has been unable to find a suitable midfielder.

If they had a decent midfielder, with Alan Shearer up front, Owen and Rooney behind, and so many top strikers at their disposal, coupled with a top-class midfielder, the Three Lions would have risen to prominence long ago.

While it was certainly embarrassing for France to be eliminated in the group stage, it was even more embarrassing for England to fail to even qualify for the European Championship finals and be eliminated so early in the qualifying stage.

It's worth mentioning that the England team is jokingly referred to by many fans as the "European China team."

To be honest, these two teams do have quite a few similarities.

Both teams are teams with three lacks: no skill, no tactics, and no awareness.
Both teams tend to falter at crucial moments; the Chinese national football team has its infamous three minutes, and England has its insurmountable penalty shootouts.

Both teams consistently perform exceptionally well in friendly matches, giving fans unrealistic hopes, only to shatter those hopes in the official matches.

Both teams have their own nemesis: China fears South Korea, and Great Britain fears Germany.

Both teams have a reputation that exceeds their actual strength. The Chinese national football team is a pseudo-first-class team in Asia, but in reality, it is a third-rate team.

Despite being hailed as a football powerhouse in Europe, the British team is actually a second-rate team.

However, thanks to the emergence of Lin Feng and the Class of '85, the Chinese team has gradually shed the labels that were previously attached to them, and has even won the Asian Cup, truly reaching the top level in Asia.

In contrast, it's unclear how long it will take the British to vindicate themselves.

……

Lin Feng doesn't like being compared to Zidane, and he dislikes being called the second Zidane even more.

Zidane played for Real Madrid for five years before leading the team to one Champions League title and one La Liga title, but Zidane achieved the same feat in just one year after joining the team.

In terms of honors alone, he is already on par with Zidane.

If we add the Champions League trophy he won with Inter Milan, Lin Feng's coaching record has surpassed Zidane's.

So why can't other players be the next Lin Feng, instead of labeling him the next Zidane?

In an interview with reporters, Lin Feng clearly expressed his protest:
"I have great respect for Mr. Zidane. He is a great player, but I am a different kind of player from him. I am who I am, a unique spark!"

Lin Feng's remarks have been interpreted by outsiders as his intention to forge his own path!
It can't be considered wrong.

In the modern attacking midfielder role, Lin Feng has indeed gone the furthest so far.

……

Lin Feng had only been back from the Olympic team for a few days when he had to report to the national team again.

Most of the teammates I had seen in the Olympic team before reunited with me at the national team's training ground.

However, compared to the relaxed atmosphere within the Olympic team, the atmosphere within the national football team was somewhat somber.

"We must win this match. If we lose again, we will lose control of our qualification and our future will depend on the results of other teams."

Zhu Guangshen's eyes were sunken, his spirits were low, and there was a lingering worry between his brows, completely lacking his previous composure.

After two winless rounds, external pressure came one after another, making him feel a little overwhelmed.

The World Cup is extremely important for the Chinese national football team; the hopes of hundreds of millions of fans across the country rest on their shoulders.

If the national team fails again in this World Cup qualifier, they will have to wait until the 2014 World Cup. In the 12 years in between, not only will the prime years of these young players be wasted, but it will also be a dark period for Chinese football.

The youth training, league, and public opinion environment that had previously improved due to the national team's better performance may be wiped out by this defeat, or even fall into a deeper abyss.

In this way, he, who led the team to failure in the World Cup qualification, will become a sinner of Chinese football and be nailed to the pillar of historical shame! Chinese football cannot afford to lose, and neither can Zhu Guanghu.

This is the main reason why he felt so much pressure and suffered such severe mental exhaustion.

"Coach, don't worry. If you don't believe in our abilities, you must believe in Brother Lin's abilities. With us here, we're guaranteed to defeat our opponent!"

Gao Lin didn't take his next opponent seriously at all.

Qatar team?

Is it strong?
We've defeated top Asian teams like Iran, South Korea, and Japan, so why would we be afraid of a small team like Qatar?

"Don't be careless. This is an away game for us. The West Asian team's home-field advantage is ridiculous. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared!"

Zhu Guanghu is certainly confident in the national team's full strength after the return of Lin Feng and others, but he is unsure what kind of unexpected events might occur in the away game.

The next match is not only a do-or-die game for the Chinese national football team, but also a do-or-die game for the Qatari people.

If Qatar wants to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup alive, they must win this match.

The only saving grace is that, previously, the national football team had no powerful connections, so even if they were bullied, they had no recourse.

But now, the AFC president is one of their own. With President Zhang overseeing things, the West Asian teams will be more restrained.

Hopefully they won't go too far!

The national football team obviously attracts more attention than the Olympic team. Even though the Olympic team will participate in the Olympics this year, it still can't compete with the allure of the World Cup.

After Lin Feng and others arrived at the team, a large number of fans rushed over and surrounded the national team's training base.

Many of these fans came from all over the country specifically to cheer for the national football team. Their only wish is for the national team to qualify for the World Cup again, score a goal, get a point, and win a game, making up for the regret of not being able to achieve this in the last World Cup.

Seeing the banners they displayed and hearing the shouts of "Go China!" from the players, who spoke in various accents, non-standard Mandarin, and even dialects, the national football team players were deeply moved.

In July, the sun outside is extremely scorching.

The Chinese national football team players were sweating profusely on the training field, while tens of thousands of fans gathered outside were also sweating profusely as they shouted.

"Damn it, even if not for ourselves, for the sake of these fans, we absolutely have to win this game!"

This scene deeply moved the national football team members, who vowed to bring a victory to these lovely fans.

……

After three days of intensive training, carrying the fervent hopes of fans across the country, the Chinese national football team set off for an expedition to West Asia.

The day before the match, the Chinese national football team received good news:

The current president of the Asian Football Confederation, Zhang Jilong, will be present at tomorrow's match.

"Brother Long is awesome!"

"Haha, with Chairman Zhang overseeing the battle on-site, let's see who dares to blow our biased whistle!"

"It's true what they say, it's good to have someone powerful back you!"

"No, it should be that having connections in the court makes things easier!"

The Chinese national football team's biggest concern before the match—being treated unfairly in an away game—is now completely resolved.

Brother Long is truly a benefactor to Chinese football. In the 02 World Cup, thanks to his divine intervention, the Chinese national team was drawn into a relatively easy group to advance, ultimately helping them qualify for that World Cup.

This time, when the national football team was in the most danger, he stepped forward again and helped the team solve its biggest hidden danger.

In terms of pure strength, this Chinese national football team has never been afraid of anyone in Asia!
……

As predicted by the Chinese national team coaching staff before the match, Qatar, eager to gain points, fielded an attacking lineup in this game.

Clearly, they really want to get points against the Chinese team.

Coincidentally, the Chinese team thought the same thing.

After the match began, both sides quickly deployed their formations and launched a fast-paced attack on each other.

Two minutes into the game, the Chinese team launched an attack up the court, and Lin Feng's breakthrough drew a foul from the opponent.

The Chinese national football team was awarded a free kick on the left side of midfield, and Lin Feng passed the ball diagonally into the Qatari penalty area.

Han Peng, the aerial master, spun his head to the goal, but unfortunately the ball went just a little wide.

In the 4th minute, the Chinese national team launched another attack, with Sun Xiang crossing the ball from the left wing.

Han Peng and Gao Lin jumped in the penalty area one after the other, but unfortunately Sun Xiang's cross was off target, and neither of them touched the ball.

The Qatari fans in the stadium were extremely nervous as the Chinese national team launched a siege on them from the very beginning.

At this moment, they realized that the strength of the newly crowned Asian champions had exceeded their expectations.

However, Qatar was not without a chance to fight back. In the 7th minute, taking advantage of the Chinese team's large number of players piled up in the attacking third, the Qatari goalkeeper directly launched a long ball to his own striker.

Qatar's naturalized player, Sebastian, with his excellent jumping ability, won the header after challenging Li Weifeng for the ball and headed it to his teammate who was making a run forward.

But Feng Xiaoting decisively intercepted the ball from the opponent's feet and then made a through pass to Lin Feng.

This continuous transition between offense and defense is a great test of the abilities of both teams' players, especially the defensive players.

They need to remain highly vigilant and focused, keeping a close eye on the opponent's dangerous players at all times; otherwise, the slightest carelessness will surely lead to their demise.

The Qataris clearly didn't do well enough in this aspect. The moment Lin Feng got the ball, he found a gap in the opponent's defense and made a long pass over the top to Han Peng.

Han Peng successfully broke the offside trap, received Lin Feng's pass, controlled the ball with his chest, and then unleashed a powerful volley before the ball even hit the ground.

The goalkeeper had no chance to block the shot and could only watch as the ball flew into his goal.

At this point, only 7 minutes had passed since the start of the match.

The Chinese national football team has already changed the score!
This delighted the thousands of Chinese fans who traveled with the team, especially considering that the national team had only scored one goal in the first two matches.

And now, the game has only just begun, and they've already scored at lightning speed.

Sure enough, the national football team with Lin Feng and the national football team without Lin Feng are completely two different teams.

Objectively speaking, although Lin Feng seized the opportunity well and made a beautiful pass, he still managed to score that ball.

But the biggest contributor was actually Feng Xiaoting. Without his interception and passing, the national team would not have had such an excellent counter-attack opportunity.

This is the value of a ball-playing defender! (End of Chapter)