Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The referee seemed to hesitate for a moment, unsure whether to award a free kick or a penalty.

"Penalty!"

"Penalty!"

"Penalty!"

The Real Madrid fans in the stadium roared in unison to put pressure on the referee.

Meanwhile, Yaya Toure, who committed the foul, and his teammates desperately tried to explain to the referee that he committed the foul outside the penalty area and that it could not possibly be a penalty.

The referee ignored the Barcelona players' appeal, and any fouling player would have said the same thing in that situation, so Yaya Toure's statement has no credibility whatsoever.

"Parsen, did you clearly see whether the foul occurred outside or inside the penalty area?"

There was no VAR (Video Assistant Referee) in this era, so the referee could only ask the linesman for help. His view was blocked by the defender, and he couldn't see clearly whether Lin Feng was inside or outside the penalty area when Yaya Toure kicked the ball.

"It looks like it's inside the penalty area. I saw Lin Feng's body had already crossed the penalty area line."

In the blink of an eye, the edge judge didn't actually see clearly, but he gave an answer based on his impression.

Upon hearing the linesman's feedback, the referee no longer hesitated, pointed to the penalty spot, and simultaneously showed a yellow card to Yaya Touré for the foul.

Yaya Toure felt like the sky had fallen; he was as aggrieved as a 200-pound child and was almost in tears.

On the field, the other Barcelona players also showed expressions of disappointment, and some even ran to attack Lin Feng, who had fallen to the ground.

"I'm ashamed of you, you fake fall, you fraud!"

"You should quit playing soccer and start training in diving!"

Are all Chinese people this good at acting?

Seeing his leader being attacked, Ramos, with his fiery temper, couldn't hold back any longer and shoved Pique, who was shouting the loudest.

Pique wasn't one to be trifled with either, and he shoved Ramos back, igniting their anger and bringing them to the brink of a fight.

The whistles blew rapidly as the refereeing team rushed between the two teams to separate them and prevent the conflict from escalating. The referee, without hesitation, pulled out yellow cards to warn Ramos and Pique for their actions.

Just then, Lin Feng, enduring the excruciating pain, crawled up from the lawn and said to the referee who had come to stop the conflict:
"Sir, this isn't a penalty, it should be a free kick!"

The referee was stunned for a moment; he hadn't expected these words to come from an attacking player.

Normally, wouldn't the attacking team try every means to get a penalty kick from the referee?

This guy, he actually refused the penalty kick that was practically in his hands.

He's been enforcing the law for so many years, what kind of situation hasn't he seen?

But he had never seen anything like this before!

"Sorry, Lin, I can't change the decision I've made. Prepare for the penalty kick!"

The conversation between the two was overheard by Yaya Toure, who looked at Lin Feng in astonishment. He hadn't expected the other party to take the initiative to exonerate him, and a sense of admiration rose in his heart.

But when he heard the referee stick to the original ruling and refuse to change it, the last glimmer of hope that had been ignited in his heart was extinguished.

Lin Feng nodded, indicating that he understood.

He refused his teammates' and Raul's offer to take the penalty kicks for him, and stood at the penalty spot himself.

Messi and his teammates stood outside the penalty area, nervously watching the man and the ball inside.

The match has only been going on for a little over ten minutes. If Real Madrid scores so early, it will be a very unfavorable situation for Barcelona.

Messi had previously studied Lin Feng's 23 penalty kicks taken over the past four seasons, and without exception, he had scored them all.

This guy is not only a player with solid footwork, but also a big-game player with a super big heart. It's almost impossible to save his penalty kick.

However, after the referee blew the whistle, Lin Feng, who was taking the penalty kick, did something that surprised all the fans in the stadium:

He didn't take a run-up or exert any force; he simply touched the ball lightly and then turned and left the penalty area.

"Was this a mistake?"

"No, it looks more like Lin Feng deliberately gave up this penalty kick!"

Inside the CCTV studio, the two commentators were equally shocked upon witnessing this scene.

"The decision to award this penalty was quite controversial. Lin Feng had just spoken with the referee, presumably trying to convince him that it wasn't a penalty, but the referee clearly didn't take his opinion into account. I think this is Lin Feng trying to maintain fairness in the game in his own way!"

"Real Madrid fans may find this hard to accept, but we should applaud Lin Feng. He showed us that there is more to the game than just winning and losing; there is also the brilliance of humanity!"

"Yes, Lin Feng gave up a goal that was within his grasp, and did not take advantage of the situation. This noble character is worthy of his status as the Ballon d'Or winner and the number one player in football!"

"Because of the strength of the Chinese team, Lin Feng may never win the World Cup in his lifetime, which also means he is destined to never become a football king. But I think his qualities surpass those of a football king!"

On the sidelines, Guardiola, after his initial shock, quickly recovered and led the applause for Lin Feng.

Even as an opponent, it did not diminish his admiration for this quality, because it was something he himself could not do.

Messi was stunned; Lin Feng's choice had taken him by surprise.

In such an important occasion and in such an important match, scoring a goal could determine the final outcome and make you the hero of the team!

But the other party was able to resist such temptation and give up this precious opportunity.

At this moment, Lin Feng's image in Messi's mind became much taller, making him feel ashamed for the first time.

Maybe I can catch up with him in terms of goals, and someday in the future, I might even catch up with him in terms of honors, but in terms of character, I'm afraid I'll never catch up with him.
After the initial confusion and bewilderment, the fans gradually came to their senses, and thunderous applause erupted from the stands.

Although Lin Feng's actions cost Real Madrid a goal, his sportsmanship earned him the unanimous approval of Real Madrid fans.

With superb skills, noble character, and a perfect image, he is the perfect candidate for the leader of the Galacticos team in their eyes!
However, not everyone was satisfied with this; Real Madrid manager Mourinho looked quite displeased.

In his view, if Lin Feng scores this goal, Real Madrid's chances of winning will greatly increase.

They have a lot of room for tactical adjustments going forward, and the initiative is in their hands, whether in offense or defense.

But this guy just gave away the goal that was practically in his grasp!

"Lin, I'm sorry, I apologize on behalf of my teammates!"

Taking advantage of the dead ball situation, Barcelona's captain, Puyol, approached Lin Feng and sincerely apologized. Although Lin Feng wasn't among those who had verbally abused him, as captain, he felt responsible for apologizing for his teammate's actions. Moreover, he genuinely admired Lin Feng; after all, even in his own situation, he probably wouldn't have made that choice.
Lin Feng had no connection with Puyol, so he nodded slightly and then ignored him.

After giving up a scoring opportunity that was within his grasp, Lin Feng himself also faced tremendous pressure.

He did right by himself and by Barcelona, ​​but he let down his teammates and the team.

Therefore, he must use his actions to help the team score as soon as possible, preferably by scoring himself.

Fortunately, the breakthrough wasn't entirely fruitless. Yaya Toure and Pique both received yellow cards, meaning we can focus on them and use them as a starting point.

In the 16th minute, Lin Feng repeated his previous tactic, once again combining with his teammates on the right flank, then dribbling inside to a point 20 meters from the goal and unleashing a powerful shot with his left foot.

The shot was of very high quality; Valdes used almost all his strength to barely manage to save it.

Valdes looked very angry after making the save, clearly dissatisfied with his teammate's defense.

Actually, before Lin Feng took the shot, his teammates had a chance to foul and stop the opponent from shooting.

Coincidentally, the two players defending Lin Feng were Pique and Yaya Touré. Both of them were worried about their yellow cards and dared not make a move rashly. Their slight hesitation caused them to miss the opportunity.

Yaya Toure was in a difficult situation. It wasn't that he didn't want to stop Lin Feng; he had already tried his best to stay close to him, but this guy was too fast.

Lin Feng's dribbling gave him a sense of déjà vu, as if he were facing his former teammate, Xiao Luo. Xiao Luo's movements were not only beautiful and creative, but also very deceptive.

Recklessly extending your foot could easily result in a foul, and Lin Feng's free-kick ability is well-known; fouling him in the attacking third would be suicidal.

Once in the right position, his free kicks are almost as dangerous as penalties.

In addition, Yaya Touré was carrying a yellow card and sincerely admired Lin Feng's decision to forgo the penalty kick, which made him hesitant and cautious when facing Lin Feng.

Having discovered his opponent's weakness, Lin Feng began to unleash his power.

In the 20th minute, Lin Feng switched sides again, dribbling the ball from the left flank to the halfway area, and unleashed a long-range shot from 25 meters out.

Just like before, this long-range shot also hit the target, forcing Valdes to dive and make another save.

Valdes received a lot of applause for his two brilliant saves, but he himself was not happy at all.

He felt that the opponent was adjusting the landing point, and the threat to the goal was getting bigger and bigger.

If they continue to let the opponent shoot so recklessly, they'll probably concede a goal next time.

On the sidelines, Guardiola was clearly aware of the problem.

Seeing that Real Madrid's attack was very fierce during this period, he told the team to first tighten their formation, compress the space in the midfield as much as possible, so that the two defensive midfielders could cover the flanks more and prevent the opponent from continuing to launch attacks from the flanks.

This tactic had some effect, and Lin Feng's attempts to break through on the flanks began to decrease.

Therefore, when Real Madrid regained possession, Lin Feng did not go to the wing, but instead retreated to the defensive midfield position to receive the ball and organize the attack.

Yaya Toure diligently followed Lin Feng, but Lin Feng's retreat pulled him out of Barcelona's overall formation.

Keita didn't immediately come up, so Barcelona had to move Xavi closer to try and help defend with Yaya Toure.

However, relying on the numerical advantage in the backcourt, Lin Feng easily broke free of Yaya Toure's restrictions after several passes and combinations with teammates such as Thiago Silva.

In the 28th minute, Lin Feng received the ball in open space on the left side of his own half.

With his teammates providing cover, he had already clearly observed the positions of his teammates in the frontcourt.

The moment he received the ball, Lin Feng delivered a precise long pass from the backfield, bypassing Barcelona's midfield and sending the ball to Higuain's head.

Facing the challenge, Higuain showcased his refined skills as a Latin American player.

With a beautiful pass and receive, he seamlessly integrated ball control and dribbling, not only stopping the ball but also significantly reducing the loss of speed during the attack, allowing him to charge into the opponent's penalty area without slowing down.

The Barcelona players were terrified. Any team would fear such a long pass that directly hits behind the defense, let alone a precise point-to-point long pass.

If they can't stop Higuain before he gets into the penalty area, then they can only pray for a miraculous save from Valdes.

Puyol, who was covering deep, roared and charged towards Higuain from the side, using his strong body to press against him, trying to disrupt his dribbling rhythm and prevent him from having a shot.

As expected of Barcelona captain, Puyol's defensive experience is extremely valuable.

His action appeared to be a normal defensive move, but after getting close to Higuain, he made a subtle exertion that nearly caused Higuain to lose his balance.

But the little gunner's chassis was equally solid. Although his body swayed, he still had possession of the ball and did not lose it.

Seeing this, the referee gave a signal that the attack was in his favor and did not immediately call a foul on Barcelona.

However, Higuain's balance was affected and his shooting angle was blocked, so his final shot was inaccurate and went wide of the goal.

Higuain was extremely frustrated after missing the shot, wishing he had just fallen to the ground when he was hit.

That way, they could not only get a free kick, but also maybe draw a yellow card.

However, such an opportunity soon arose!

In the 31st minute, it was Lin Feng again, delivering another precise long pass from the backfield.

However, this time it was Raul who received the pass, and Raul was not as fast as Higuain.

He had barely stopped the ball and taken a few steps when he was brought down by Alves.

The referee's whistle was timely, awarding Real Madrid a free kick in a good position in the attacking third and showing Alves a yellow card for a tactical foul.

The free kick was taken from a spot approximately 27 meters from the goal, a very good position where a direct shot was possible.

So after seeing the referee's decision, the Barcelona players were very nervous and their eyes instinctively turned to Lin Feng.

Everyone knows that this guy's time to shine is about to begin.

Lin Feng carefully stepped on the grass near the penalty spot, placed the football, stepped back seven or eight steps, spread his legs, looked at the goal, and had an extremely determined expression on his face.

This pose is very similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick stance, but Lin Feng used this pose earlier, so the outside world thought that Ronaldo was imitating him.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was watching the live broadcast of the game, felt a jolt of surprise when he saw Lin Feng striking the same pose as him.

He had a strong feeling that the ball would go in! (End of Chapter)