Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"Excuse me!"

"Great news! Great news! Huge good news!"

Not long after the national football team returned to the Olympic Village, Gao Lin started yelling and running around the room.

"What good news? Look how excited you are!"

Everyone poked their heads out of their hotel rooms, looking curiously down the corridor.

"Hey, did you guys watch the game just now? Belgium lost 0-1 to Brazil, and two of them were sent off with red cards!"

"What good news is this? Wasn't it expected that Belgium would lose to Brazil?"

"No, no, losing the game is not unexpected, but having two players sent off is quite unexpected. Do you know who those two players were?"

Seeing Gao Lin's mysterious expression, Cui Peng, fully aware of his role as the straight man, asked:
"Who?"

"The absence of their key central defender Kompany and key midfielder Fellaini will have a significant impact on the Belgian team. They might even lose to New Zealand in their next match. In that case, even if we lose to Brazil, we can still qualify by drawing in the last round!"

When everyone heard him say the familiar phrase, "A draw will allow us to advance," it was as if some unpleasant memories had been awakened, and their expressions became somewhat unnatural.

"Is that all the good news you mentioned?"

"Yeah, what's so good about that? It would be good news if those two couldn't play in the final match against us!"

"Given Belgium's strength, I don't think missing the match against New Zealand will affect the final result!"

"The fact that Belgium was able to hold out against Brazil's formidable attacking force for eighty minutes is enough to demonstrate their strength; they are at least stronger than New Zealand!"

After being thrashed 6-0 by the Chinese team, New Zealand's status in the eyes of many has fallen to that of a pushover.

Although Belgium lost two players, it shouldn't mean that their strength drops by a whole level just because of two people, right?

Kompany? Fellaini?
What random passerby? I've never even heard of him.

Chen Tao had heard of Kompany before, because his team was a fierce rival of his own team, Werder Bremen, and the two had faced each other in the Northern Derby.

However, because he wasn't a striker and didn't match up against Kompany, he didn't have a strong impression of Kompany.

As for Fellaini, he had absolutely no recollection of him, but he was certain that the man was not in one of the top five leagues.

Lin Feng knew these two players. Fellaini and Kompany both became top stars in their respective positions and were one of the cornerstones of the later European Red Devils team. Their strength should not be underestimated.

Given that both players are located on the most important axis of the Belgian team, their absence will have a significant impact on Belgium.

Unfortunately, the red card suspension only applies to one match, and neither player committed a malicious foul that would result in further punishment. This means they can both play in the final match against China.

Therefore, the Chinese team will not benefit from this.

However, if the Chinese team places all its hopes for advancing on others, it will be impossible for them to go very far in the Olympics.

A true strong person must take their destiny into their own hands.

"It's getting late, get some rest. You have training and the Olympic opening ceremony tomorrow!"

Hearing the commotion, the team leader ran over to remind the players to get some rest.

However, even after returning to their rooms, many people were still too excited to sleep.

It wasn't just because they played a good game; the excitement in my heart hadn't completely subsided.

Furthermore, today's match gave them a great boost in front of the national audience, and was seen by many of their relatives and friends.

After the match, they received more congratulatory calls from relatives and friends than they had in all their years of playing football!
The influence of the Olympics is truly terrifying!

With all the other players doing this, Lin Feng, as their captain and having scored a hat-trick in the first round, naturally received even more congratulations after the match.

Lin Feng quickly glanced through the messages, his gaze drawn to a text message.

This text message was sent to him by Liu Yifei. Judging from the timing, it must have been sent shortly after the competition ended.

She actually wanted to call him directly, but she was worried about disturbing Lin Feng's rest or bothering him, so she ultimately chose to send her congratulations via text message.

After reading the text message from Liu Yifei, Lin Feng couldn't help but smile.

He suddenly wanted to talk to Liu Yifei and hear her voice.

Even though we've only been apart for a few days, I can't help but miss her a little.

However, with the team leader patrolling the corridor outside and another teammate in the same room, it seemed inappropriate to either go out to make a phone call or have a long phone conversation with Liu Yifei in front of her teammate.

Lin Feng had a sudden inspiration, put on his earphones, took his phone, and went into the bathroom.

He turned on the showerhead and, using the sound of the water as cover, dialed Liu Yifei's number.

"Huh? Didn't Brother Lin just shower? Why is he going back in?"

Hao Junmin was wrapped in a blanket, enjoying the air conditioning and playing games on his PSP when he heard the noise coming from the bathroom. He couldn't help but look up, feeling a little puzzled.

……

After a good night's rest, when Lin Feng walked into the hotel cafeteria for breakfast the next day, full of energy, he noticed that many of his teammates had dark circles under their eyes.

"What's wrong? Did you have insomnia last night? Why are your dark circles so bad?"

Lin Feng sat down next to Cui Peng, patted him on the shoulder, and asked curiously.

"Hey, don't even mention it! I was so excited after winning yesterday, and on top of that, the thought of attending the Olympic opening ceremony today kept me so excited I couldn't sleep!"

Cui Peng's tone was somewhat listless, and he sounded like he had no energy.

Dong Fangzhuo was even more outrageous than him, with dark circles under his eyes as big as a panda's, making Lin Feng wonder if someone had grabbed his eyes and walked around them, otherwise how could they be so dark?
It's understandable, considering he scored a goal yesterday.

Perhaps Lin Feng doesn't think a goal is anything special, and he doesn't take it too seriously.

But for players like Dong Fangzhuo, scoring a goal in the Olympic Games is enough for them to brag about for a lifetime!
A quick glance at the morning newspaper revealed that most of the articles were about the matches played yesterday.

Lin Feng flipped through the pages with great interest, wanting to learn about the matches in the other groups.

He didn't remember the details of the Olympics very clearly, only that the final championship was won by the Argentine team.

Argentina's opponent in the final appears to be Nigeria.

Therefore, in Lin Feng's mind, both the Argentine and Nigerian teams were listed as key targets of his attention.

However, to his surprise, although Argentina won their first match, it was by no means an easy victory.

Although Messi gave Argentina the lead in the first half, the Ivorians fought back to equalize early in the second half. The game remained very close until the 86th minute when Argentina regained the lead and held onto it until the final whistle.

Although it was the first time the Ivorians had participated in the Olympics, the strength they displayed in this competition should not be underestimated.

The fact that they could push the defending champions, who fielded an all-star lineup, to this point speaks volumes about the quality of this dark horse from Africa.

The situation in Group B was a bit chaotic. The Japanese team dominated the American team for the entire game, creating countless opportunities, but due to a lack of attacking firepower, they were unable to score for a long time. In the end, they were robbed of a goal by the American team and lost the game in frustration.

The clash between the Netherlands and Nigeria was incredibly intense. Despite having former Bundesliga Golden Boot winner Makaay, the Netherlands launched a fierce attack but struggled to break through Nigeria's defense.

Although Nigeria was slightly inferior to their opponents on the field, their counter-attacks were more threatening. Unfortunately, they failed to capitalize on their opportunities and were unable to defeat their opponents after one of them was sent off with a red card, ultimately drawing with the Netherlands.

For Nigeria and the Netherlands, finishing top of their group is crucial, given the schedule.

In the quarterfinals, the winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Argentina should still take first place in Group A. This means that whoever finishes second in Group B will have to play against Argentina.

As the top favorite to win the gold medal in this Olympics, Argentina is definitely an opponent that no one wants to face, so the group stage in Group B is obviously more intense than that in Group A!
The situation in Group D is similar to that in Group B. Because Brazil is in Group C, everyone in Group D wants to compete for first place in order to avoid Brazil.

Judging from the first round, Italy, who easily defeated Honduras 3-0, clearly had the upper hand.

The South Korean and Cameroon teams, both vying for second place in the group, fought a tough battle in this round, ending in a 1-1 draw, with Cameroon also losing a player to a red card.

The South Korean team isn't doing much better. This match was so exhausting, and their next opponent is Italy. It feels like South Korea's chances are already slim.

It's kind of funny to think about how arrogant they were before this competition, saying they would compete for an Olympic medal.

They're having trouble even making it out of the group stage, let alone winning an Olympic medal!
The South Koreans have blown their own horn and have no idea of ​​their true capabilities.

……

Because they were going to Beijing that evening to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the national Olympic team only had a brief training session during the day on August 8th.

They then headed to the airport together and took a flight to Beijing.

At that time, air transport in Beijing was very busy, and it took the national Olympic team a long time to finally land.

The skies above Beijing Capital International Airport are almost entirely filled with planes waiting to land, the vast majority of which are international flights.

Clearly, with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games approaching, more and more foreign tourists are flocking to China.

In addition to foreign tourists, even more Chinese people flocked to Beijing from all over the country specifically to watch the Olympics.

When Lin Feng and his group got off the plane, they encountered several groups of tourists and were even recognized by them.

Fortunately, they withdrew quickly enough to avoid causing a disturbance or chaos.

"It's only been less than ten days since I last came to Beijing, but Beijing feels so unfamiliar. I almost don't recognize it anymore!"

Looking at the Olympic posters plastered on the streets and alleys, as well as the road signs and Olympic volunteers that can be seen everywhere along the way.

Everyone stared wide-eyed with curiosity, pressing their necks against the bus windows and craning their necks to look around.

Since the last time the national Olympic team participated in the Olympics was 20 years ago, no one on the team, whether a newcomer or a veteran, had any Olympic experience.

Everything about the Olympics was new to them.

After arriving at the designated assembly point, there were only a few hours left before the opening of the Olympic Games.

The members of the national Olympic team mingled in the crowd, greeting familiar athletes from other sports.

"Hey, you're here! You played well in yesterday's game!"

Lin Feng was considering whether to visit the men's basketball team when a pair of large hands patted him on the shoulder.

He knew it was Liu Xiang's voice without even turning around.

"It's alright, I guess. Do you guys want to come watch the next game against Brazil?"

The track and field team's competitions won't start until late August, which is still more than ten days away.

During this period, they had nothing to do except train, so they were arguably the most relaxed group of people.

"Really? How confident are you? Can you beat Brazil?"

Liu Xiang's eyes lit up. How could he not watch a free competition?

Moreover, it's a match against a top team like Brazil. Even if you're only there for Ronaldinho, you still have to make the trip.

"I'm not very confident. Brazil is the favorite to win the championship. Our goal is to advance from the group stage. They're not even in the same league!"

Hearing Lin Feng's pessimistic tone, Liu Xiang couldn't help but frown.

"Is the gap really that big? If we really can't beat them, then we might as well park the bus and try to secure a draw!"

"We can't hold on. The Belgians' defense is much stronger than ours. Even with that, we couldn't withstand their attack. Relying solely on defense is a dead end!"

"What should we do then? Should we give up on this match and put all our bets on the final game?"

Liu Xiang couldn't help but feel anxious for the national Olympic team. They started so well, it would be too hard to accept if they couldn't make it out of the group stage.

"According to our head coach, we should focus on our own game. Let them be strong, we should just play our own game and not let them affect our rhythm!"

"Brazil's attacking line is very strong, but we are not weak either. If we really go out there and have a real battle, we might not lose!"

Lin Feng actually felt that the national Olympic team had a chance in the next game. The Brazilian team was strong, so they would inevitably underestimate their opponents.

However, the Chinese Olympic team treated their opponents as formidable formidable opponents, and began collecting information about them well in advance, thoroughly studying Brazil's tactics, players' strengths and weaknesses.

"Haha, that's tough! I love playing aggressive matches, and even if I lose, I definitely won't criticize you!"

"Tch, you'd better mind your own business. If you don't win a gold medal at this Olympics, just wait and see how the whole nation will condemn you!"

"Don't worry about me at all. In my current form, not only is an Olympic gold medal a piece of cake, but breaking a record is also a sure thing!"

"Keep bragging. What if Robles steals your base? That would be hilarious!"

"How could that be? Robles was just someone I could easily suppress with a wave of my hand!"

The two were chatting when a staff member suddenly ran over and called out to Lin Feng:
"Mr. Lin Feng, may I have a moment of your time?"

Lin Feng asked, somewhat puzzled, "What is it?"

"It's like this, you're the flag bearer for tonight's opening ceremony. The directing team has some things they need to discuss with you beforehand. Could you please come in and talk to us in detail?" (End of Chapter)