Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

To be honest, although the Chinese national team's attack has been quite impressive recently, it hasn't posed a significant threat to the Australian defense.

That goal was pure luck, so Gao Lin, who managed to capitalize on the opportunity, was as happy as a 200-pound child.

These unexpected surprises are fantastic! It would be even better if we could have a few more.

The Australian players looked utterly helpless as they watched the Chinese players celebrate their goal in their own half.

What can they do about this ball?
Is it fair to blame the defender for not checking if there were people in front of him when clearing the ball?

Is it the goalkeeper's poor positioning that prevented him from making a save?
They obviously can't be blamed for this. If we really have to say, the full-backs and defensive midfielders are both responsible. They failed to mark Lin Feng, giving him the opportunity to pass the ball across the penalty area.

If that ball hadn't been passed in, there would have been no mistake or goal conceded.

After the restart, the Australians, who were trailing, intensified their attack.

In the 19th minute, Australia broke through on the right wing and crossed the ball into the box. Troisi and Dejete both rushed in, but neither could reach the ball, and it slid past the goal.

That ball was quite dangerous. Australia has a clear height advantage. If the ball had been headed in by the opponent, they might have conceded a goal.

Zhu Guanghu was clearly aware of this threat, so he immediately made adjustments.

In the subsequent match, the Chinese national team intensified its efforts to block the flanks, denying the opponent any opportunity to comfortably cross the ball.

After several rounds of attack and defense, the situation on the field reached a stalemate, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

However, the score was in the Chinese team's favor, so they played with ease and were not in a hurry at all.

On the other hand, Australia, watching time slip away, was the first to become restless.

Thanks to their height and size, the Australian team had a significant advantage in physical confrontations.

Whether in attack or defense, they like to use this tactic against the Chinese national team players.

Faced with the aggressive pressing of the Australians, the Chinese national team made several mistakes, mainly because the players held onto the ball too long while dribbling and failed to pass it out immediately, resulting in the ball being blocked by the opponent.

"Run! Move!"

"Speed ​​up the passing, don't stand still and wait for the ball!"

Seeing that his teammates were not used to this aggressive pressing, Lin Feng shouted loudly on the field, instructing them on how to position themselves and how to pass the ball, and personally demonstrated for them.

In fact, the Australian team pressed and targeted Lin Feng the most fiercely, but they rarely managed to dispossess him.

Because Lin Feng never stands still waiting for the ball, he always runs and receives the ball while moving, which gives him time to think about how to handle the ball before the defender closes in on him.

If the opponent's defensive positioning is good and there are no openings, he will safely pass the ball back to his teammates, and then make off-the-ball runs to stretch the opponent's formation and find space to attack.

If the opponent's defensive positioning is poor, Lin Feng will consider taking advantage of such an opportunity to launch an attack.

Hearing Lin Feng's shout, his teammates gradually calmed down from their initial panic.

Under Lin Feng's direction and support, the Chinese national football team's passing became increasingly fluid and fast. Australian players ran back and forth on the field, but it was difficult for them to take the ball away from the Chinese players.

In the 27th minute, the Chinese national team launched an attack into the attacking third.

After Lin Feng passed the ball to the wing, Sun Xiang dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area. The opposing full-back marked him tightly, making it impossible for him to turn around.

He saw the opponent's legs spread out and had a sudden idea to try a nutmeg, but unfortunately he failed—the ball went past him but he didn't.

Gao Lin and the Australian defender both rushed towards the ball, but the opposing defender was faster and passed the ball back to the goalkeeper first.

Gao Lin's eyes were filled with the desire to score a goal. He abandoned the defenders and went straight for the opposing goalkeeper.

With many players already inside the penalty area, the Australian goalkeeper, seeing Gao Lin's incredible speed, worried that a long kick might hit a player and bounce back, resulting in an own goal.

Left with no other option, he could only fall to the ground and catch the ball.

However, the referee blew his whistle immediately, awarding the Chinese team an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.

Countless Chinese fans at the stadium and watching on television were thrilled to see this: Isn't this just like the previous match against Iraq?

Both times, the opposing goalkeepers committed fouls by handling their teammates' back passes, giving the Chinese team indirect free kick opportunities.

Last time, the Chinese team seized the opportunity and scored.
Will the Chinese team be able to repeat their previous tactics and change the score to 2-0 this time?
Countless fans began to look forward to it.

It's not just the fans who feel this way; even the players on the field felt a strong sense of déjà vu after seeing this familiar scene.

"Should we cooperate the same way as before?"

Sun Xiang came to Lin Feng's side and asked him a question.

Lin Feng scored a goal using this opportunity in the last game, which raised Sun Xiang's expectations for him, who wanted to see Lin Feng perform such a miracle again.

"Hmm, let's give it a try, but the other side should be on guard, so this trick might not work."

Just as Lin Feng had predicted, when Sun Xiang passed the ball to him, the Australian players immediately moved forward to block him, not giving Lin Feng a chance to shoot.

Lin Feng dribbled past the player who was trying to intercept him, and seeing that there was really no angle to shoot, he passed the ball back to the outside of the penalty area.

Zheng Zhi received the ball and shot, but unfortunately he couldn't control the angle, and the ball went over the crossbar.

Having successfully defended against the opponent's attack, the Australian goalkeeper and defenders high-fived each other in celebration.

The Australian coaching staff studied the Chinese team's game footage, and their defense in this game was very targeted.

Although the Chinese national football team has a strong midfield, they prefer to drift to the flanks and look for opportunities by exploiting the gaps on both sides rather than attacking from the midfield.

In response to this, the Australian team's defensive strategy was to have their center-backs push out to widen the defensive coverage and prevent the ball carrier from getting to the byline or cutting inside.

If the ball carrier passes the ball, Australia's defense has prepared an offside trap for the opposing striker, and if necessary, they will also have the defensive midfielder drop back into the penalty area to work with the remaining center-back to limit the Chinese striker inside the penalty area.

As for limiting Lin Feng, the Australian team did not assign multiple players to double-team him, but they kept blocking his passing lanes, especially when he passed the ball forward. Australian players were always on standby near potential receiving points, ready to intercept at any time.

Zhu Guanghu couldn't help but glance at Welbeck next door; this guy had done his homework very well!

But no matter how much preparation they did, it was useless because the Chinese national team was currently leading on the field.

Continuing to drag this out is perfectly acceptable for the Chinese national football team, but the Australians might not be. Therefore, the opponent will definitely be the first to lose their composure.

Thinking of this, he stood up, went to the sidelines, and gestured to the players on the field, telling them to control the pace of the game and not to pursue a fast attack.

At this point, taking the initiative to attack might lead to mistakes and give the opponent an opportunity. It's better to keep possession of the ball, lure the opponent out to attack, and then capitalize on their mistakes.

The Australian team was clearly aware of the Chinese team's plan. Although they tried to take the ball from the Chinese team, it was too difficult. After the opponent retreated, there were too many players in the midfield and backfield. Faced with the pressing of the two Australian forwards, the Chinese players passed the ball around like dogs.

After being outmaneuvered several times, the two forwards lost their nerve and were unwilling to continue making such pointless runs.

Without deploying a large number of players, it would be almost impossible to take the ball away from the Chinese national football team.

Towards the end of the first half, in order to prevent the Chinese national team from launching a surprise attack in the final moments, the Australians even retreated to their own half.

Seeing this, the Chinese national football team tried a few times, but when it didn't work, they stopped attacking.

Because the opposing team didn't send anyone to contest the ball, Feng Xiaoting, who was bored passing it around in the backfield, even started juggling the ball at the last moment.

This incredibly ironic scene left the Australian fans in the stands at Sydney Stadium looking utterly humiliated and unable to contain their emotions.

During halftime, neither team made any personnel changes.

The second half began with both sides switching sides and starting the game.

The Australian team finally decided to intensify their attack. Time was running out for them, and if they didn't attack soon, they would be worn down by the Chinese team.

However, the Australian team cannot control the midfield. Without the organization and passing of the midfield, their attacks are one-off. Once they lose possession, the attack will end, and they may even face the danger of being countered by the opponent.

So a comical scene unfolded on the field: the Australian team launched an attack, and the Chinese team defended it and immediately launched a counterattack.

The two sides went back and forth, turning the match into a turn-based game.

However, what's unfair to the Australian team is that their match against the Chinese team is a positional and attacking battle, where they have to face the Chinese team's complete midfield and defense.

China countered their attacks with open play, and the Australian players were unable to return to their positions in the attacking third, not to mention the midfield, even their defense was not intact.

Therefore, every counterattack by the Chinese team made the Australians feel terrified, as if they were walking a tightrope and could fall into an abyss at any moment.

As time ticked away, the Australian players on the field grew increasingly anxious.

In the 73rd minute, an Australian striker collided with the goalkeeper during an attack, causing Chinese goalkeeper Song Zhenyu to be injured and forced to leave the field.

Li Leilei was not selected for the national team roster due to injury, and Wang Dalei was not included in the national team's call-up list.

As a result, after Song Zhenyu was injured and forced to leave the field, the national football team faced a situation where they had no one available.

Left with no other option, Zhu Guanghu had to send 21-year-old Zeng Cheng into the game.

"Once you're on the field, communicate more with your teammates in the back line. Don't put too much pressure on yourself; just perform at your normal level from training!"

This was Zeng Cheng's first appearance for the national team, and it was an unexpected appearance under these circumstances, which made Zhu Guanghu very worried, so he had to give him a few more words of advice.

Zeng Cheng was a man of few words. When he heard Zhu Guanghu's instructions, he simply nodded emphatically and did not make any promises or guarantees.

Seeing that the other party's expression was relatively normal and that he was not trembling with nervousness, Zhu Guanghu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

When the Chinese team brought on a young player, the Australians became as excited as sharks smelling blood.

After Zeng Cheng came on, the Australian team launched a massive attack, hoping to break through the relatively unknown new goalkeeper.

However, to their disappointment, the young player on the other side, although he looked somewhat inexperienced, performed quite well on the field. On the contrary, Zeng Cheng appeared to be far too mature.

Aside from not communicating well with his teammates, his saves within the goal line were simply phenomenal. He not only made no mistakes but also made excellent saves, denying all of the opponent's shots.

The Australian strikers were stunned. Was this guy really only 21 years old?
How come he seems even stronger than the starting goalkeeper from before?

Welbeck on the sidelines was even more surprised than they were. He already knew that there was a young and outstanding goalkeeper from China named Wang Dalei, who was currently playing abroad.

But as far as he knows, the Chinese team did not call up that young player this time.

So where did this guy come from?

He is so calm and mature at such a young age. Given more time, wouldn't he become a top goalkeeper in Asia?

With Wang Dalei, who was signed by Inter Milan early on, the Chinese team won't have to worry about goalkeepers for the next ten years.

Thinking of this, Welbeck felt extremely envious.

This Chinese team truly has outstanding young players emerging in every position!
However, Zeng Cheng's impact didn't stop there. In the 82nd minute, after successfully saving an opponent's shot, Zeng Cheng keenly observed that the opponent's formation was too far forward, creating an opportunity for his team to counterattack.

He quickly got up from the ground, used his powerful arm to throw the ball towards the frontcourt.

Gao Lin won the ball and passed it to Lin Feng, who then made a through pass.

The ball broke through the opponent's defense and returned to Gao Lin's feet.

It's a one-on-one situation!
Gao Lin was overjoyed, feeling that his chance to make a name for himself had come, and he even started planning how to score another goal after scoring this one.

I must make up for the hat trick I failed to complete last time.

Overwhelmed with excitement, he failed to notice a figure rushing toward him from his side and behind.

Just as Gao Lin broke into the penalty area, Zadekovic, who had tracked back, made a sliding tackle.

Gao Lin was caught off guard and fell to the ground, and the ball was also destroyed by the opponent.

The crowd erupted in commotion, with Australian fans glancing anxiously at the referee, unsure how the foul would be called.

The referee, with a serious expression, rushed to the scene of the incident, pulled out a red card to send off the Australian who committed the foul, and pointed to the penalty spot, awarding the Chinese team a penalty kick.

This caused the noise in Sydney Stadium to grow even louder, but it quickly turned into a chorus of boos.

Amid boos, some disappointed Australians had already begun to leave. (End of Chapter)