Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"The ball is in!"

"This is the first goal scored by the Chinese team at the Olympics, and I believe it won't be the last. This young team, which carries the hopes of countless fans, will definitely go further than their predecessors at the Olympics!"

The moment Lin Feng scored the penalty, the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center erupted in cheers.

The 60,000 fans present were so excited that they seemed to want to lift the roof off the stadium.

【pretty! 】

[Finally, a goal!]

In crucial moments, we still have to rely on Lin Feng!

Although we dominated the game, it was truly nerve-wracking to watch before the goal!

Me too. I think it's because the national team and the Olympic team always falter at crucial moments. Even though I know in my heart that their strength is not what it used to be, I still feel very insecure!

[Hehe, now I can finally relax and enjoy the game!]

Remember our progressive goals? Score a goal, win a game, advance from the group stage. We've already achieved one! Go China Olympic team! Win this game and then another one to advance from the group stage!

[Are you dreaming? Our next opponent is Brazil, one of the tournament favorites. Do you think they're a weak team like New Zealand?]

What's wrong with Brazil? Don't forget that the ball is round to the ball. Even if the Chinese Olympic team is weaker than their opponents, they're not entirely without a chance to win!

Let's see how the Brazilian team performs later. I have a feeling this Brazilian team isn't as strong as they're advertised. If they're not at their best, maybe we really have a chance!

That's right, don't forget this is our home ground. Although the Wulihe Stadium is no longer there, this brand-new stadium that has taken over its role will surely continue the reputation of being a lucky place for Chinese football.

For Chinese football, which has only qualified for the World Cup once, Wulihe Stadium is a sacred place in the hearts of many.

Since it's the holy land of Chinese football, it naturally has an added advantage.

The Chinese national football team once made it to the World Cup here, and many people believe that the Olympic team can also achieve good results here.

Of course, metaphysics is something that exists if you believe in it, and doesn't exist if you don't.

If players also feel that this is a lucky place, and their confidence increases, leading to a significant improvement in their performance on the field, then this in turn will confirm the saying that this is a lucky place.

The current plot seems to be developing in this direction.

After Lin Feng scored the first goal, the national Olympic team seemed to have completely broken free of their psychological shackles, their confidence soared, and their form returned.

Not only was he no longer impatient, but his various short-range passing and cutting combinations flowed smoothly, making him seem unfamiliar to many.

Is this really the Chinese team?

In the 15th minute, the Chinese team won another corner kick.

Seeing Lin Feng standing in the corner area, alarm bells rang in the hearts of New Zealanders.

Having been fooled once before, they are now on guard and will not let the Chinese team's tactics succeed again.

Although the opponent was already on guard, Lin Feng still did not choose to pass the ball directly into the penalty area. However, this time, after passing the ball to Chen Tao, the latter did not pass it back to him, but unexpectedly transferred the ball to the other side.

China's defensive midfielder Zheng Zhi was already lurking there. He received a pass from Chen Tao and made a strong run into the penalty area from the right. He then scored from a tight angle near the byline, extending China's lead to 2-0!

The Shenyang Olympic Sports Center erupted in cheers once again, with fans waving flags and shouting wildly, expressing their joy.

If being only one goal ahead wasn't enough to put them on the safe side and made them somewhat worried, then this second goal completely put their minds at ease.

The match had only been going on for fifteen minutes when the Chinese national football team was already leading 2-0.

They're aiming for a resounding victory!

For viewers watching the Chinese team play for the first time, this match overturned their preconceived notions about Chinese football.

"Chinese football doesn't seem to be as bad as the media portrays it!"

Victory is the easiest way to rewrite reputation. The reason why Chinese football had a bad image and reputation in the past was because it didn't win enough.

The most fundamental way to restore the image and reputation of Chinese football is to win more games and bring back more championships.

With achievements and honors, criticism from the outside world naturally decreases.

……

The second goal was much simpler than the first.

After conceding two goals in a row, the New Zealand team was somewhat stunned.

Although they did get some corner kicks and free kicks during the match, they didn't create any attacking opportunities.

On the contrary, the Chinese team's aggressive pressing led to repeated mistakes and frequent dangerous situations.

Hao Junmin, who performed exceptionally well at the start of the game, transformed into a superman in the last few minutes, using his physical and speed advantages to constantly create threats on the right flank.

In the 25th minute, Hao Junmin crossed from the right wing, and Dong Fangzhuo's header went wide.

A few minutes later, Hao Junmin's strong run drew a foul from the opponent, winning a free kick on the right side for the Chinese team.

Compared to the previous free kick, this time the position was much better, so Lin Feng chose to shoot directly.

The football flew over the wall at high speed, then plummeted down near the goal.

That was a free kick!

Because the ball was moving very fast and the view was blocked by the wall of players, the opposing goalkeeper had very little time to react.

By the time he saw the ball flying towards him, it was too late to make a save.

With a crisp swish, the ball sank into the net.

The score became 3-0, and in just 25 minutes, New Zealand's goal was breached three times!

The scene has turned into a carnival for Chinese fans. When have fans ever seen the Chinese team so proud and triumphant on their home turf?
This Chinese team is absolutely amazing!
[This is brutal! Three goals in less than 30 minutes! If this continues, the score will probably reach double digits!]

Let's give the visiting team some face; they've come all this way, it's not easy for them. Look, even the New Zealand fans are starting to shed pearls!

The New Zealand fans in the stands were indeed on the verge of collapse. Watching their team being beaten so badly by the opponent, they were both shocked and saddened.

A few people with poor mental fortitude, perhaps unable to bear the cruel scene, had already begun to leave early.

On the sidelines, Lin Feng didn't use his signature celebration move, but instead did a passionate knee slide.

Although he didn't leave three marks on the grass like Drogba, his sliding knees were graceful and elegant, especially when he slid towards the corner flag, which had a unique kind of grace.

Reporters at the scene snapped photos, capturing the moment with their cameras.

On the coaching bench, Klaus Toppmöller high-fived and hugged several assistants, then shook his head and chuckled upon seeing this scene on the field.

He suddenly realized that Lin Feng was a bit vain; he had to strike a pose for every celebration, doing whatever looked cool.

His unique celebration move was one thing, but even his knee slide celebration was different from everyone else's.

There were quite a few female fans at the scene, and his sliding knee slide is sure to charm countless young women.

Klaus Toppmöller was wrong; it wasn't just countless young girls who were captivated.

Even grown men were mesmerized; at first, it was just the fans near the corner flag shouting.

In the end, the entire stadium was chanting Lin Feng's name.

This scene reminded Lin Feng of the moment when fans at the Wukesong Arena celebrated Kobe Bryant's birthday during the Beijing Olympics. However, the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center is much larger than Wukesong, so what he enjoyed was a plus-upgraded version of Kobe's treatment.

……

After scoring three goals, the Chinese team had the victory firmly in their grasp, but they did not stop there.

The Chinese Olympic team has two strong opponents in its group: Brazil, needless to say, and Belgium, known as the Red Devils of Europe.

This Belgian team boasted many stars who later became household names, such as Kompany, Fellaini, and Vermaelen.

The Red Devils of Europe later rose to prominence starting with this group of young players.

Given that both Brazil and Belgium are formidable teams, the Chinese national team must maximize its goal difference against New Zealand if it wants to advance.

In this way, if the later matches end in a draw, the Chinese team will not be at a disadvantage when comparing goal difference.

After conceding goals in a row, the New Zealanders seemed to have been awakened.

I was worried about losing the game, so I couldn't play freely.

Now that they're down by three goals, they can finally stop worrying about that problem, and their form has actually improved.

In the 31st minute, New Zealand launched an attack on the left wing.

Since we can't gain an advantage in the middle, let's try to find a way through the flanks.

Although their wingers' crosses were wildly off target under Sun Jihai's defense, the players rushing in at the goal failed to touch the ball.

But at least it was a threatening attack, much better than before when they couldn't even touch the Chinese team's 30-meter danger zone.

In the 36th minute, New Zealand took advantage of a throw-in opportunity on the left wing and launched the ball powerfully into the penalty area.

Since we can't get the ball in through the ground, let's just throw it in the air.

If you have enough strength, you can even kick a ball out of bounds as a corner kick.

The opponent's powerful throw-in took the Chinese team by surprise, and the ball was thrown into the penalty area, resulting in a scramble.

In the ensuing scramble, the opposing striker won the ball, but his shooting angle was already very narrow.

As expected, the goalkeeper blocked the ball, which was then cleared by Li Weifeng with a long kick.

This big foot was aimed at getting out of trouble, and it used a lot of force.

It seems like they can't catch up, but some people haven't given up.

"Li Weifeng cleared the ball with a long kick, it should be going out of bounds... Wait, someone's chasing it, who is it?"

"It's Lin Feng, the captain of the Chinese team! He's accelerating; he hasn't given up on this ball yet!"

"But can he catch up?"

In the studio and in the stands, countless viewers watching from their television sets were all captivated by Lin Feng's swift figure.

As the football was about to go out of bounds in the air, many people's palms even started to sweat with nervousness.

Faster, faster!
Countless people are shouting in their hearts!

At this moment, most of China is cheering for Lin Feng.

After sprinting for nearly fifty meters, Lin Feng finally managed to save the ball just before it went out of bounds.

The New Zealand teammates were stunned, seemingly not expecting anyone to be able to save the ball under such circumstances.

However, after realizing what was happening, they retreated frantically, trying to stop Lin Feng's attack.

But by then it was too late!

Lin Feng maintained his speed, dribbling the ball straight towards the opponent's penalty area.

The New Zealand goalkeeper was on high alert. He didn't want to lose the ball to Lin Feng again, because the opponent had already scored two goals against him. If he lost one more, he would complete a hat-trick.

"Stop him!"

He shouted to his teammates who were retreating to defend, hoping they could create a miracle and stop the opponent's attack.

However, once Lin Feng had fully unleashed his speed, he was an unstoppable force on the court. New Zealand's guards would come one by one, or two at a time...

No one could stop him in this situation unless they were willing to risk a red card by fouling him.

Under the desperate gaze of the New Zealand goalkeeper, Lin Feng dribbled past his teammates and broke into the penalty area.

The goalkeeper refused to wait on the goal line to die, so he resolutely chose to attack, and then became another victim of Lin Feng's blade.

That's right, Lin Feng even beat the goalkeeper!
After getting past the goalkeeper, he gently pushed the ball into the net with the instep of his foot once again.

The score became 4-0, with Lin Feng scoring three goals to complete a hat trick!
This was his first Olympic hat-trick, and also the first Olympic hat-trick in the history of Chinese football.

"Sigh!!!"

"Sigh!!!"

After completing his hat trick, Lin Feng finally used his own unique way of celebrating.

The impatient fans started shouting even before he finished his celebration, just from seeing the prelude to his movement.

Not satisfied with just shouting it out, they shouted it out again, having a great time.

His teammates rushed up from all directions, high-fiving and hugging him to celebrate the goal.

When Li Weifeng gave him a high five, he jokingly asked:

"What a cool long-distance run! Was that my assist?!"

"That definitely counts as an assist!"

Before Lin Feng could answer, his teammates started chattering amongst themselves.

"Feng's pass, Lin received the ball and then scored, and there were no other players touching it in between. It was definitely an assist!"

"Tsk tsk, Feng, that assist came way too easily!"

"Who says otherwise? Why don't I have such good luck to get such an assist for free!"

"Feng was clearly trying to clear the ball, but ended up getting an assist instead. It's true that a good pass is not as important as good teamwork!"

Everyone was filled with regret, both envious of Li Weifeng for getting an easy assist and envious of Lin Feng for completing a hat trick.

If only I hadn't given up so easily, if they had sprinted with all their might like Lin Feng, maybe they could have scored that goal.

Especially Hao Junmin, the ball originally landed on his right flank, and with his speed, he definitely had a chance to catch up with it at full speed. However, he only glanced at it and thought the ball was definitely out of bounds, so he didn't chase it. Little did he expect that he would miss a scoring opportunity because of this.

His intestines were filled with regret.

Seeing that his teammates' teasing made Li Weifeng lose face, Lin Feng stepped in to save him:
"Brother Feng was probably trying to assist, right? Did he see me in this direction and know my speed, so he deliberately kicked the ball this way?"

Li Weifeng: Hey, is that what I think?

"Yes, that's exactly what I think!"

Li Weifeng stood tall and confidently. (End of Chapter)