Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"A tomahawk free kick!"

"So fast!"

"The on-site statistics show that Lin Feng's free kick just now had a speed of 158 kilometers per hour!"

"No wonder the Argentine goalkeeper couldn't save it. With such a fast ball speed, the goalkeeper only had a fraction of a second to react."

Commentators Zhang Lu and Zhan Jun were both taken aback by Lin Feng's stunning free kick. Seeing the ball, they both thought of Roberto Carlos's powerful shot in the match between China and Brazil at the Japan-Korea World Cup seven years ago.

According to Jiang Jin, the goalkeeper for the Chinese national football team, Carlos's shot was so fast that he didn't see the ball clearly when he made the save. He only saw a blur and made the save based on his instincts.

As expected, they failed to catch it!
At this moment, Argentine goalkeeper Romero felt exactly the same way Jiang Jin did back then.

Not far away, Messi witnessed all of this, which strengthened his resolve to improve his free kicks.

Even though the two teams were vastly different in strength, the opponent's superb free kicks forced them back to the same starting line.

That's how unstoppable a top-level free-kick master is!
It's practically a strategic weapon of mass destruction!
If I can improve my free kicks, maybe one day in the future, when the Argentine team is in trouble, it will come in handy!
"Great! Excellent! That was a great kick!"

On the sidelines, Old Zhu was overjoyed and exclaimed "Good!" three times in a row.

He had already mentally prepared himself for a crushing defeat, but Lin Feng's divine kick pulled the team back from the brink of collapse.

Although the Chinese team is still very passive and even quite embarrassed on the field, the two teams are now tied in terms of overall score!
"Brother Lin, you're amazing!"

"I was shocked by your free kick just now. How did you manage to take a free kick with that kind of power?"

"Hahaha, look at the Argentinians' faces!"

Lin Feng's goal was like a shot in the arm, not only stabilizing the team's morale but also further boosting the team's spirits.

This allowed the Chinese national football team, who had been struggling to breathe under the opponent's fierce attack, to finally breathe a sigh of relief!
Morale is such a mysterious thing. The Chinese team's defense, which was just on the verge of collapse, has become much more solid again thanks to Lin Feng's goal.

After the game restarted, an enraged Maradona brought on a whole host of attacking players, including Tevez and Aguero, piling up a huge number of forwards in the attacking third, determined to thrash the Chinese team.

However, the Chinese team, with its morale soaring, managed to hold off the opponent's offensive wave with tenacious defense!

In the 60th minute, Higuain broke through three Chinese players on the right wing and delivered a cross, which was brilliantly saved by Wang Dalei.

A minute later, Di Maria's left-footed volley from the right side of the penalty area was tipped over the crossbar by Wang Dalei with one hand.

In the 67th minute, Messi started from midfield and completed a one-two with Tevez. He then used his quick steps to dodge the interceptions of Zheng Zhi, Zhao Xuri, and other players before unleashing a left-footed shot from 17 meters out that went just wide of the post.

Argentina's attack has been very fierce recently, and they seem poised to completely crush China in one fell swoop.

But all bark and no bite; their offensive, though intimidating, failed to create any truly exceptional opportunities.

In fact, the sheer number of players piled up in the attacking third caused them to overlap and interfere with each other, which actually disrupted their own attack.

In the 77th minute, Li Weifeng cleared the ball with a long kick in the penalty area, but inadvertently created an attacking opportunity.

Upon seeing the trajectory of the football, Gao Lin quickly predicted its landing point, made a sprint, and got into position before Argentine defender Heinze, leaping high to pass the ball to the center.

Gao Lin originally intended to pass the ball to Lin Feng, allowing Lin Feng to launch another counter-attack like in the first half.

But perhaps because his passing skills were not up to par, or because his physical fitness had declined significantly, his movements became somewhat distorted.

His pass was poorly positioned, and the ball went towards the Argentine defender.

Facing the incoming ball, substitute Demichelis attempted to control it with his chest and then pass it to a teammate to regroup and launch another attack.

But as soon as he stopped the ball, he saw a red figure rushing towards him.

Demichelis was shocked and hurriedly tried to pass the ball to the right-back.

However, Lin Feng saw through his intentions and cut in front of the two, intercepting the ball.

Wow!
The crowd erupted in uproar. Argentine fans were stunned, seemingly unable to believe that their own defenders could make such a catastrophic mistake!
Watching Lin Feng dribble the ball and charge towards their own penalty area, their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Some even closed their eyes in fear, unable to bear watching what was about to happen!
On the field, Lin Feng didn't expect the opposing defender to make such a basic mistake.

But he was already prepared. After intercepting the ball, Lin Feng dribbled towards the penalty area and once again faced Argentina's goalkeeper, the 22-year-old Romero!
Romero was already cursing his teammates' ancestors in his heart. Facing Lin Feng's one-on-one attack, although he knew it would be difficult to defend against, he still had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge out.

Then Lin Feng flicked the ball and changed direction, completely getting past him!

Without any suspense, Lin Feng dribbled past the goalkeeper and slotted the ball into the empty net.

The score is now 3-2!

Argentina, playing at home, has fallen behind again!
Argentine fans who arrived at the scene were stunned and watched this scene in disbelief.

They were unhappy that the opponent stole a goal in the first half, but they didn't care too much, since no team can be perfect and avoid making mistakes.

But as the Chinese team scored their second and third goals, Argentine fans completely lost their composure.

The first goal could be explained by carelessness and underestimation of the opponent, but how do you explain the second and third goals?

Many fans have begun to re-evaluate their own team and their opponents.

The Argentinians, who had initially underestimated the Chinese team's strength, have now abandoned their underestimation and begun to take this opponent seriously!
Although the opposing team came from Asia, a region known as a football wasteland, the Chinese team's tactics, fighting spirit, and sharp counterattacks left a deep impression on them.

The Chinese team is by no means a pushover. Even if their strength doesn't reach the world's top level, they're not far off.

Even top teams can be upset by such teams if they are careless and underestimate them, just like Argentina in this match!
Meanwhile, Argentine fans were very dissatisfied with their team's defense, conceding three goals against China, a team that is not yet a top-tier opponent.

If they were to face top teams like Brazil, France, Italy, and Germany in the World Cup, wouldn't their defenses be completely overwhelmed?
In the final stages of the match, as the Chinese team's stamina waned, the Argentine team completely took control of the game and launched their most frantic attack on the Chinese team since the start of the tournament.

Messi, in particular, seemed to be stimulated by something, recklessly pushing his physical strength and potential to the limit, repeatedly attacking the Chinese team's defense.

Despite bringing on several fresh players to try and withstand the opponent's attack, the Chinese team still couldn't maintain their lead.

In the 87th minute, Messi delivered a through ball down the middle and made a forward run. Aguero and his teammate combined well, and after receiving the ball, Aguero quickly passed it to the left side of the open space. Messi, who had made a forward run, happened to be there, received the ball, shook off the exhausted Feng Xiaoting, and dribbled into the left side of the penalty area. From 10 meters out, he took a low shot with his left foot, which was saved by Wang Dalei with a desperate leg block on the goal line.

Although Wang Dalei saved Messi's shot, the ball he blocked landed squarely in front of Argentina's other striker, Higuain. Higuain reacted quickly and tapped the ball into the empty net with his left foot from 2 meters out, making the score 3-3.

The score remained unchanged until the final whistle. Exhausted, the Chinese team was unable to continue their attack, while the Argentine team, although still wanting to score, was unable to break through the Chinese defense again.

In the end, after a hard-fought battle, the two teams shook hands and agreed to a draw.

Although they couldn't hold onto the victory, it left Zhu and many Chinese fans feeling somewhat disappointed.

However, the Chinese team's performance of scoring three goals and taking the lead twice surprised and delighted the fans.

To escape unscathed from Argentina, a strong favorite to win the title, and even manage to score three goals against them, this draw was already beyond everyone's expectations. What more could you ask for!

Compared to the jubilant Chinese fans, Argentine fans were clearly not happy.

They failed to defeat opponents who were so much weaker than themselves.

So how will they cope when they face stronger opponents at the World Cup next year?
You can't win the World Cup by just crushing weaker teams, especially since they don't even know how to crush weaker teams properly!

After the match, Messi approached Lin Feng and asked to exchange jerseys.

"Exchange jerseys? Sure, no problem!"

Lin Feng generally wouldn't refuse an opponent's request to exchange jerseys, especially since the Chinese team doesn't have many opportunities to play against the Argentine team.

It's uncertain whether the two will ever meet again in national team matches!

Seeing Messi take the initiative to approach Lin Feng to ask to exchange jerseys, a scene that left many Chinese fans feeling deeply moved.

There was a time when Chinese players asked players from these world-class teams to exchange jerseys, only to be ignored.

Now, Messi, the absolute core of Argentina, a world-class team, and hailed as the next football king of South America, has actually taken the initiative to offer to exchange jerseys with Chinese players.

[The Chinese team is getting better too!]

I think it's because Lin Feng has more influence; others give him face.

Indeed, apart from Lin Feng, none of the other national team players came over to exchange jerseys!

There's no need to underestimate ourselves. If we continue playing like this, the Chinese team's strength will eventually be recognized by more people, and then strong teams will definitely want to exchange jerseys with our players!

See you at the World Cup next year!

"Okay, see you at the World Cup!"

After exchanging jerseys, Messi nodded to Lin Feng and left with Lin Feng's jersey.

Based on historical draws, the Chinese team is highly unlikely to face Argentina in the group stage.

The two teams would have to wait until the knockout stage to meet in the World Cup.

If he draws Argentina in the knockout stage, Lin Feng wouldn't mind continuing to have a good match with Messi.

Of course, the probability of the two teams being drawn together is relatively small.

For the Chinese team, this is because they replaced the Japanese team.

Therefore, the best outcome would be to follow the same path Japan took in the South Africa World Cup. In that case, in the round of 16, they would face Paraguay, the relatively weak group winner. Given China's strength, there is a good chance they will advance to the quarterfinals.

After all, when the Japanese team faced Paraguay back then, they were just a little unlucky and lost in a penalty shootout.

This shows that their strength is comparable to Paraguay's. The Chinese team is stronger than the Japanese team, and they might even have a slight advantage against Paraguay.

Of course, that's the ideal scenario. The specific group assignments will be determined in December after the final roster of all teams participating in the World Cup is finalized through a draw.

……

Although it was just a friendly match, the Chinese team's 3-3 draw against Argentina on the road still caused a stir in the football world of both continents.

In South America, news of Argentina's shocking draw against China at home spread to neighboring countries in a very short time.

Brazilians, Uruguayans, Paraguayans, and Chileans, upon hearing the news, mocked the Argentinians for not being able to even handle the weak Chinese team, asking what they were bragging about winning the championship.

The football teams in South American countries are all very strong, and none of them are willing to concede to the others.

Originally, in South America, five-star Brazil had the greatest influence and was everyone's public enemy.

However, as the golden generation of Samba football, including Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, gradually aged, the Brazilian national team, with only Kaká leading the charge, had long lost its former prestige.

On the contrary, with the emergence of a large number of talents in the younger generation, and the birth of a superstar like Messi who is almost a football king, Argentina has replaced Brazil as the most promising seed to win the next World Cup.

As a result, the focus of criticism quickly shifted from the Brazilian team to the Argentine team.

Everyone has been waiting to see them make a fool of themselves, and now that they've finally got their chance, they're naturally going to kick them while they're down.

However, the impact of this match on South America was far less significant than the impact it had on Asia.

As the continent with the weakest football strength in the world, Asian football has always been underestimated.

Even Asians themselves don't have high hopes for their own national teams, feeling that they are only fit to be high-achieving students and that they only participate in the World Cup for fun, rarely achieving any good results.

But this upset by the Chinese team has given many people hope for the rise of Asian football.

It turns out that even the world's top teams are not invincible. (End of Chapter)