Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Beep!
The whistle blew, and Lin Feng began his running start.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He aimed at the bottom of the ball and swung his right leg with great force.

The football shot into the air like a cannonball, flying towards Barcelona's goal at incredible speed.

The Barcelona wall of players jumped in unison, but their jumps were in vain; no one could touch the ball.

While the ball was still in the air and hadn't landed, many Barcelona players had a sudden realization that something was wrong and instinctively looked back at their goal.

The football flew straight past Valdes as he soared into the air and crashed heavily into the net.

Too fast, really too fast!
Valdes only felt something flash past his eyes; the football was moving too fast for him to see clearly.

In this situation, the save was purely a gamble, and unfortunately, he didn't gamble correctly.

The score became 1-0, bringing the aggregate score to 3-2. Lin Feng's free-kick goal helped Real Madrid regain the lead at home.

"The ball is in!"

"An incredible goal, the ultimate visual feast brought by violent aesthetics!"

"This goal was even more amazing than Ronaldo's goal at the Emirates Stadium yesterday!"

"Yes, Lin Feng truly deserves his title as the best free kick player. That shot was incredibly powerful and extremely fast, probably exceeding 100 kilometers per hour!"

As soon as the commentator finished speaking, the staff at the scene gave the exact speed of Lin Feng's free kick—175 kilometers per hour!
The data immediately sparked gasps and heated discussions among fans:

[Wow, is this even human? This speed is almost like a supercar!]

[This goal really can't be blamed on Valdes; with that kind of speed, the goalkeeper simply didn't have time to react!]

[That's right, former national team goalkeeper Jiang Jin once said that when he saved Roberto Carlos's free kick in the World Cup, the ball was so fast that he didn't even see it; he only felt a dark shadow flash past him!]

[I remember that. Carlos's shot was only 149 kilometers per hour, and it was already so fast you could only see a blur. Lin Feng's shot was even faster, giving the goalkeeper even less time to react. It's amazing that Valdes was able to react at all!]

Does anyone know the speed of the free kick Cristiano Ronaldo scored yesterday?

According to British media reports after the match, Ronaldo's shot was traveling at approximately 130 kilometers per hour!

Wow, so that means Lin Feng's shooting speed is a full 35% faster than Ronaldo's!

[When I first saw Cristiano Ronaldo's tomahawk shot, I thought his core strength was on par with Lin Feng's. Now it seems he's far inferior to Lin Feng!]

Meanwhile, in a villa in Manchester, Cristiano Ronaldo, who witnessed this scene, was utterly shocked.

Especially after seeing the parameters released by the event organizers, my pupils dilated in shock:
We are about the same height and weight, so why am I so much weaker than him?
Is this guy still a human?

Cristiano Ronaldo felt his confidence had taken a heavy blow, and he began to doubt whether he could really catch up with such a monster.
……

After witnessing their star player's amazing performance, Real Madrid fans at the Bernabéu Stadium cheered wildly for him, singing songs specially written for Lin Feng.

Meanwhile, countless young fans were captivated by Lin Feng's powerful and aesthetically pleasing shot, and regarded him as their idol on their football journey, aspiring to become the next Lin Feng.

The era of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho is over; now it belongs to Lin Feng and Messi.

Compared to Messi, who is short, not particularly good-looking, and whose playing style relies heavily on talent.

With his tall stature, outstanding appearance, and more approachable playing style, Lin Feng clearly has a larger audience and is an idol for most young players.

As a result, Lin Feng's No. 8 jersey sold out, and retailers had to quickly place additional orders with the manufacturer.

Lin Feng's goal completely changed the situation on the field, although Barcelona is currently only one goal behind in terms of score.

However, considering Barcelona's disadvantage in away goals, scoring one goal was not enough to equalize the score.

If they want to advance to the final, they must score two goals at the Bernabéu Stadium.

This shouldn't be too difficult for Barcelona, ​​considering they scored four goals here in their last match.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that today's match is not the same as the last one.

Real Madrid has clearly strengthened its defense, and its attack is far less aggressive than in the league. Meanwhile, with Barcelona stockpiling a large number of workhorses in midfield, its attacking power has undoubtedly been weakened.

By this point in the last match, Barcelona had already scored two goals.

But in this match, Barcelona didn't score a single goal.

With Real Madrid taking the lead and likely retreating to a defensive counter-attacking strategy, it will be extremely difficult for Barcelona to score two goals against them.

The Barcelona players on the field were clearly aware of this, and they began to increase their pace and offensive commitment in an attempt to quickly equalize the score.

In the 34th minute, Diarra fouled Iniesta while defending, and Xavi took the free kick from 28 meters out on the left, but it went just over the near post.

Four minutes later, Messi dribbled past his opponent and chipped the ball into the penalty area, but Thiago Silva anticipated his move and jumped to clear the ball.

As Barcelona pushed their formation forward again, the midfield gradually fell under their control.

Moreover, after losing possession, Barcelona players executed their counter-pressing tactics very decisively.

Real Madrid attempted counter-attacks several times after winning possession in their own half, but the ball was disrupted by the opposition before they could even pass it out.

Having taken control of the midfield, Barcelona began to pin Real Madrid back in their own half, frequently using the combination play and individual skills of Messi, Iniesta, Henry, and others to create threats to Real Madrid's goal.

However, Real Madrid, having faced Barcelona's attacking tactics many times, already had a good grasp of them.

Holding a one-goal lead, and playing at home.

Real Madrid remained remarkably calm in the face of Barcelona's onslaught.

Although they didn't touch the ball for several minutes, they weren't in a hurry at all. Facing Barcelona's probing and stretching, they maintained the integrity of their defensive line. No matter how much you probe, I remain unmoved.

Barcelona were at a loss; their ground passing combinations simply couldn't penetrate, and the opponent's defense showed no weaknesses whatsoever.

Crosses from the flanks are not only inefficient, but also easily intercepted by the opposing center-backs. Most importantly, they don't have much time left!
Therefore, Barcelona had no choice but to place their hopes on Messi's strong individual ability once again.

In the 45th minute, Messi used his speed to break into the left side of the penalty area and delivered a low cross into the box.

The ball was a cross-shot, and Casillas dived to save it but dropped it. Fortunately, Henry, who was at the far post, was too far away to get a follow-up shot.

Real Madrid escaped a close call!
The Real Madrid players were terrified, and even Mourinho on the sidelines was quite frightened.

You can't underestimate the role of superstars. Sometimes the team's tactics are useless, but a superstar's flash of brilliance can solve the problem that the team can't solve.

Didn't Messi just do that just now?

The defenses I had painstakingly built were as fragile as paper when this guy broke through them, and I was almost always in grave danger.

Fortunately, Messi's stamina is average; these kinds of breakthroughs are very physically demanding, so he probably won't be able to do them many times.

If his physical fitness were as good as Lin Feng's, Mourinho couldn't imagine just how terrifying this guy would be!
At that point, his team probably won't even need to devise specific tactics; they can just play around Messi.

With his abundant stamina, no team can stop Messi's onslaught.

One minute later, the first half ended, and Real Madrid went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

As soon as Mourinho entered the locker room, he noticed that the players were breathing heavily, which made his expression serious.

Playing three high-intensity El Clásico matches in a week is too physically demanding for the players.

As the season was nearing its end, most players were already exhausted from the physical reserves they had built up before the season. The subsequent series of tough matches against Barcelona in a short period of time further depleted Real Madrid's already limited stamina.

He didn't give an excessive tactical explanation, but simply talked about the tactics for the second half and the substitution arrangements. Then he asked the team doctor and masseurs to quickly relax the players' muscles so that they could take the time to recover their physical strength.

That's all he can do now; if he wants to win, he can only pray that the players can grit their teeth and persevere.

However, considering that Barcelona also fought two tough matches like them and their physical exertion was also considerable, this doesn't seem to be a problem unique to them.

……

At halftime, neither team made any substitutions.

Real Madrid did not take advantage of the early stages of the match to launch a fierce attack on their opponents and seize an early lead.

Mourinho originally intended to use this tactic if the team's physical condition allowed.

Unfortunately, the team's physical reserves were not sufficient, and it was a pity to waste energy on offense.

If a quick start wastes too much energy, leading to excessive player fatigue and a collapse of the defense, then it would be shooting oneself in the foot.

Unlike Real Madrid's cautious approach of trying to conserve energy, Barcelona showed no intention of being stingy with their energy!
Just three minutes into the second half, Xavi played a through ball from the center circle, and Henry made a quick run down the left flank, cutting into the penalty area and deceiving Pepe twice with his dribbling skills. His right-footed shot from seven meters out was blocked by Casillas with a diving save!

This goal gave Real Madrid fans a real scare. Henry's breakthrough and shot were extremely threatening. If it weren't for Casillas's superb performance, the opponent would definitely have equalized.

This guy is over 30 years old, yet he's still so fierce. No wonder he was able to reign supreme at Highbury Stadium back in the day!
Real Madrid fans were amazed by Henry's performance, while Arsenal fans were filled with regret.

They recalled the fond memories of Thierry Henry, wearing an Arsenal jersey, dominating the Highbury stadium.

Ah, if only Henry could return to Highbury someday!

Unfortunately, we can't go back!
Barcelona, ​​having missed scoring opportunities, became even more frantic. Messi, Iniesta, and others almost immediately charged forward upon receiving the ball, and once they lost possession, Barcelona players from all sides rushed in to win it back like mad dogs.

In the 50th minute, Messi's dribbling breakthrough was intercepted. Real Madrid had just regained possession, but before they could pass the ball out, it was immediately won back by the opponent.

Iniesta launched a counter-attack and played a through ball into the penalty area. Messi broke into the penalty area and fell to the ground, seemingly tripped by Real Madrid's center-back Thiago Silva.

The crowd erupted in uproar, and all eyes turned to the referee.

Just as the referee was hesitating about whether to award a penalty, Messi got up from the ground and admitted that he had slipped and fallen.

If it weren't for Lin Feng's action in the first half, Messi might have easily accepted the penalty.

But with Lin Feng as an example, if he still does the same thing, then the difference in their abilities will be obvious.

Although Messi really wanted to win, he couldn't win in this way; even if he did win, it wouldn't be a fair victory.

Moreover, with so many cameras set up on site, some of them must have captured the process of him falling.

Whether the opponent committed a foul or not is clearly visible in slow motion replay.

If Messi actually accepts that penalty, he will definitely be heavily criticized by fans after the game, especially with Lin Feng as a comparison.

Seeing Messi's noble act, many Real Madrid fans applauded him and praised his sportsmanship.

"Hehe, it seems Lin Feng's actions have brought unexpected benefits!"

"Yes, the football world has become a mess in recent years, with utilitarian football prevailing. Some people will stop at nothing to win, and diving and faking penalties are commonplace. Hopefully, Lin Feng and Messi's actions can clean up the mess and improve the current atmosphere of football!"

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was watching the match, could hardly contain his amusement when he saw this.

Lin Feng's actions had already impressed him, and now seeing Messi inspired by Lin Feng and doing something similar, he suddenly had a great idea.

Blatter, disregarding the game, picked up the phone and immediately called his eager secretary:
"Notify the media outlets we have good relations with, and tell them to increase their coverage of this match, focusing on promoting the sportsmanship of Lin Feng and Messi!"

The secretary felt a chill run down her spine and immediately understood the chairman's intention:

This is an attempt to set these two up as role models and encourage all players to learn from them!
As the two players with the greatest individual strength and influence in football today, Lin Feng and Messi have a huge fan base.

Lin Feng alone probably has more than a billion fans worldwide.

Messi, as a talented player comparable to Lin Feng, has an influence around the world, especially in Latin America, that is in no way inferior to Lin Feng's.

Setting these two as role models will have a huge demonstration and driving effect, attracting a large number of young players to learn from and imitate them.

This will not only help FIFA establish a positive brand image for football, but also leverage the influence of these two individuals and their appeal to young people to promote the sport and further expand the football industry.

Why not do something that achieves multiple benefits? (End of Chapter)