Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Keisuke Honda, who missed a scoring opportunity, created another shot a few minutes later.

In the 39th minute, Yasuhito Endo made a diagonal pass from the right, and Keisuke Honda flicked the ball with his head in front of the goal, sending it flying towards the bottom right corner.

Fortunately, Li Weifeng provided timely interference, causing the Japanese player's header to go slightly wide, and the ball ultimately slid across the goal, failing to result in a goal.

However, Japan's attacking play just now served as a wake-up call for China's defense.

"Stay alert, don't miss anyone!"

Seeing that his teammates' defense was a bit lax, Li Weifeng shouted loudly to his teammates on the back line.

The Japanese forwards aren't very tall, but they're incredibly agile; if you're not careful, they can easily find openings for you.

Just like now, Sun Xiang's attention was distracted by Yoshito Okubo, who pulled him out of position, and he failed to keep a close eye on Yasuhito Endo, which gave the opponent the opportunity to pass the ball well.

However, the responsibility does not lie entirely with the defenders; the midfielders, especially the defensive midfielders, also bear some responsibility.

Seeing that the defense was under pressure, Lin Feng took the initiative to drop back to participate in the defense, specifically keeping an eye on Honda Keisuke, who had been more active during this period.

"Haha, the Chinese have finally realized Honda's strength, and have even sent Lin Feng to keep an eye on him!"

"Go for it, Honda! Show them what you're capable of!"

When the Chinese team assigned Lin Feng to mark Keisuke Honda, the Japanese fans became inexplicably excited, as if they had won a great victory!

On the court, Keisuke Honda was initially very excited because he was finally going to face Lin Feng head-on.

He had been waiting for this opportunity to prove his strength to the world.

However, after truly experiencing Lin Feng's defensive intensity, Keisuke Honda could no longer smile.

Although Lin Feng is not a professional defensive player, his defensive ability has been recognized by Mourinho and many top international midfielders.

Facing Keisuke Honda, Lin Feng immediately made an unreasonable steal.

After losing the ball, Keisuke Honda tried to win it back, but there was a clear difference in their physical strength. When Lin Feng exerted a little force, Honda lost his balance and fell to the ground.

The referee glanced at it but did not call a foul on Lin Feng. Instead, he signaled for the game to continue.

The Japanese fans in the stands booed in dissatisfaction, believing that Keisuke Honda was knocked down by Lin Feng, which should have been a foul.

However, the referee believed that it was a legitimate physical confrontation, and if he had to call a foul, it would be against the Japanese player, because Keisuke Honda made a very subtle hand movement when he tried to win the ball back, attempting to pull Lin Feng.

The Japanese team's attack has improved recently, leading them to commit more players to offensive plays.

After intercepting the ball, Lin Feng noticed that the opponent's backcourt was very empty and immediately realized that this was an excellent opportunity for a counterattack.

After shaking off Keisuke Honda's entanglement, Lin Feng quickly dribbled forward, stopped and dribbled past Daisuke Matsui who came to block him, glanced at the positions of his teammates, and sent a through ball to the right flank area.

Gao Lin strode over, got the ball before the opposing defender, and cut inside towards the center.

Japan's left-back Yuto Nagatomo was disrupted and drawn away by Gao Lin. Center-back Yuji Nakazawa was also forced to move with Gao Lin to prevent him from taking long-range shots from just outside the penalty area, ready to block him at any time.

In this way, the right flank will be empty.

Gao Lin clearly saw the opportunity on this side, but instead of passing the ball to the wing, he passed it back to Lin Feng, who had already made it to the front.

In fact, Sun Jihai had already crossed the halfway line at this point. If Gao Lin had passed the ball to the wing, Sun Jihai could have easily crossed it without being defended.

However, the opposing defenders are not fully in position yet. Once the ball is passed to Sun Jihai, by the time he crosses it, the opposing players will probably all be back, and the Chinese national team's fast counter-attack will turn into a positional battle.

After passing the ball to Lin Feng, Gao Lin cleverly ran to the left, creating a cross-run with Lin Feng to help his teammate draw away the defenders and relieve pressure on his side.

Seeing Gao Lin pass the ball to Lin Feng, Nakazawa Yuji immediately left the penalty area and pressed towards Lin Feng. Nagatomo Yuto also braked immediately, ready to cover the wing at any time to prevent Lin Feng from passing the ball to the wing.

Lin Feng saw through the opponent's intentions clearly. After receiving the ball, he deliberately paused for half a second. When Nakazawa Yuji approached and Nagatomo Yuto finished braking, he suddenly flicked the ball with his left foot, pretending to move to the left and looking up to observe the position of the opponent's goalkeeper, making a feint to shoot directly.

Nagatomo Yuto and Nakazawa Yuji were both fooled and had no choice but to passively follow his change of direction, even putting their hands behind their backs, preparing to block the gun with their bodies.

However, this was still a feint. After seeing the opponent make a blocking move, Lin Feng suddenly pulled the ball back, turned around, and gently passed the ball back to Zhao Xuri, who was following up in the middle.

The pass was perfect, with just the right amount of power and angle. Zhao Xuri didn't need to adjust at all; he met the ball with a powerful shot.

The ball, like a cannonball, slammed into the Japanese team's goal.

The score became 2-0, with the Chinese team extending their lead just before the end of the first half!
The moment he took the shot, Zhao Xuri felt he had the ball.

Upon closer inspection, the ball was indeed lying inside the opponent's goal!
He excitedly rushed to the sidelines, and in a moment of impulsiveness, kicked the corner flag pole away!
On the sidelines, Lao Zhu, who had been excitedly embracing the coaching staff, paused for a moment when he saw Zhao Xuri kick the corner flag away. He then turned to the assistant coach and asked:
"Didn't Zhao Xuri already have a yellow card?"

The assistant coach flipped through the game records and nodded with a serious expression:
"He received a yellow card in the match against Italy, and with this one, he will be suspended for the next game!"

"Damn it, I knew it wouldn't be good!"

After hearing this, Old Zhu angrily swore.

When we get back to the locker room, I'm going to give that brat a good scolding.

If you're going to celebrate, then celebrate. Why did you have to kick someone's corner flag over?

According to World Cup rules, all the yellow cards accumulated before the next match would be cleared.

As a result, Zhao Xuri got himself a yellow card before the yellow cards were cleared, and was suspended from the game.

The national team's next opponent is still unknown, and they have already lost a key midfielder, leaving coach Zhu feeling uncertain.

Could it be that the Chinese national football team is going to be eliminated in the quarterfinals?
Of course, it's too early to say that now, since the game isn't over yet!
Although the Chinese national team was leading by two goals, the ball is round to be reckoned with. What if the Japanese team suddenly had a breakout performance in the second half and equalized or even took the lead?
Although the probability is very low, this possibility cannot be ruled out!
With little time remaining in the first half, neither side managed to score.

During halftime, as expected, Lao Zhu criticized Zhao Xuri.

Zhao Xuri, who had just scored a goal, was in a great mood and accepted Lao Zhu's criticism with a smile.

Seeing the other person's grinning face, Old Zhu became even angrier:

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! What are you laughing at? Since you're so eager to get off the field, I'll just substitute you in the second half!"

Seeing that the other party was really angry, Zhao Xuri quickly apologized: "Boss, I was wrong, I won't do it again next time. Anyway, I'll be suspended for the next game, so let me finish the second half. At least wait until I'm completely exhausted before making substitutions, that way the teammates who come on will have an easier time!"

Zhu Guanghu thought it made sense and changed his mind.

He planned to squeeze every last drop of value out of Zhao Xuri, making him run like crazy in the second half to exhaust the opponent's midfield stamina.

"Others should also be careful, especially those with cards. Be extra careful not to commit fouls and get suspended!"

After criticizing Zhao Xuri, Lao Zhu didn't forget to give some instructions to the others.

The Chinese team has limited bench depth, and the absence of key players, especially those in crucial positions, would have a significant impact on the team.

The next match is a crucial quarter-final game. The Chinese team already had a low chance of winning, and if their roster is not complete, their chances of advancing will be even smaller!

……

After halftime, the two teams switched sides and the game resumed.

I don't know if the Japanese team's head coach lost his temper in the locker room or if he used some secret method to give the players a shot of adrenaline.

After the start of the second half, the Japanese team's attack became bolder and more aggressive.

In the 47th minute, Endo Yasuhito made a low cross from the left wing, and Matsui Daisuke's volley from 25 meters out was saved by Wang Dalei.

Japan immediately took a corner kick, but due to a lack of tall players, the first ball was easily controlled by China, who almost launched a quick counter-attack, forcing Japan to commit a tactical foul and bring down Lin Feng, who was dribbling the ball on the counter-attack, near the center circle.

Matsui Daisuke received a yellow card for the foul, the second yellow card of the match. Judging from the number of cards issued, the referee's enforcement standards were relatively lenient.

Given the intensity of Japan's attack, the Chinese national team proactively tightened their formation, attempting to lure Japan out.

Although they guessed that the Chinese team wanted to launch a counterattack, the Japanese team, trailing in the score, had no choice but to continue their strong attack without hesitation.

In the 51st minute, Japan's attack once again reached the vicinity of China's penalty area.

Seeing that Honda Keisuke was being tightly marked by Lin Feng, Hasebe had no choice but to pass the ball to Endo Yasuhito. As soon as Endo Yasuhito received the ball, Zhao Xuri rushed over.

Although he charged too hard and his first attack was blocked by the opponent.

But he didn't give up; instead, he sprinted after him at top speed.

Endo Yasuhito clearly didn't expect him to catch up so quickly, and caught off guard, he lost the ball under the double-team of Zhao Xuri and Zheng Zhi.

The Chinese team immediately launched a counterattack, and Zheng Zhi intercepted the ball and quickly passed it to Lin Feng.

Lin Feng dribbled the ball forward along the flank, and after spotting Gao Lin's position, he delivered a 45-degree diagonal cross while still running forward.

The football skimmed the ground, curving around the opposing defender with an uncanny arc, and landed at the feet of Gao Lin, the national team striker.

Countless fans watching the game, as well as commentators from various countries, were stunned by Lin Feng's incredible long-range, low-angle, curved cross!

Defenders are most afraid of curved shots. The Japanese defenders clearly saw the ball rolling towards them, but they were powerless to stop it. They could only watch helplessly as the opposing striker received the ball, shot, and then celebrated the goal!

Gao Lin didn't waste Lin Feng's brilliant assist, because the pass was so good that he didn't even need to receive the ball; he simply aimed at the far corner and fired a shot.

Japan's goalkeeper, Eiji Kawashima, watched in despair as the ball rolled past him into the goal, powerless to stop it.

The score became 3-0, and the Chinese team further extended their lead shortly after the start of the second half.

Gao Lin was so excited after scoring that he wanted to take off his shirt to celebrate. This was his first goal in this World Cup!
The goal I've been eagerly anticipating for half a month has finally arrived!
But as soon as he lifted the corner of his shirt, he remembered the coach's instructions in the locker room. Gao Lin shivered and quickly put his shirt down again, changing to a neighborhood-style celebration—jumping up, waving his arms, and asking the Chinese fans in the stands for applause!

The fans gave him a warm round of cheers and applause, which made Gao Lin look delighted.

That's it! That's the taste!
It feels so good to score a goal!
If they could score two more, and complete a hat trick, that would be even better!

"Gao Lin handled that ball very calmly and beautifully, but the most crucial thing was Lin Feng's pass just now!"

Inside the CCTV studio, the two commentators only briefly mentioned Gao Lin's goal, but focused on praising Lin Feng's pass.

"Lin Feng's pass just now was brilliant! It bypassed the opposing defenders and precisely found Gao Lin, giving him a one-on-one opportunity without him having to worry about getting past the defenders, which led to this goal!"

"Only Lin Feng could deliver such a precise long pass. If the pass had been weaker or the angle less accurate, it wouldn't have had such a remarkable effect!"

As official commentators who frequently commentate on top-tier leagues like the five major European leagues and the Champions League, they are quite knowledgeable.

Even so, in their minds, people who can make such difficult passes are extremely rare in the entire football world.

In recent years, the only pass that has impressed and amazed them in this way is Lin Feng's assist of the century in the Champions League final not long ago.

The commentators were already quite restrained; online, Lin Feng's pass had already been hailed as a masterpiece by fans.

[Lin Huang is awesome!]

Is this even human? Is this a pass a human could make?

[I declare that Lingard is the world's number one high school, not only the current number one, but also the historical number one. Platini, Cruyff, Zico, Zidane—they all have to step aside!]

In the past, such remarks that would have brought negative publicity to the players would have inevitably stirred up a storm on the internet, sparking heated debates between opposing sides.

But today, there are not many dissenting voices under this post; all that can be seen is unanimous agreement.

Agreed!

No problem!

That's a fair point!

[Seconded!]

We may not have witnessed the power of those ancient giants, but we've seen firsthand how strong Emperor Lin is, so I also support Emperor Lin!

In fact, it's not just Chinese fans who think this way; even fans in neighboring Japan have similar opinions after seeing this pass.
It wasn't that the Japanese players weren't trying hard enough, it's just that their opponents were too monstrous! (End of Chapter)