Football: Starting from the Ronaldinho template

Chapter 87 Quarterfinal Opponents Revealed! Perrin Unleashes His Fury, Fierce Battle Imminent! (10)

2015 1 Month 17 Day.

In the third round of Group A of the Asian Cup, South Korea will face Australia.

Brisbane Stadium.

The Chinese national football team just won two consecutive victories here a few days ago, and today the first and second place in Group A will also be decided here.

"A few days ago, South Korean media reported that the Chinese team is different from others, and they want to try to get first place in the group to avoid the Chinese team."

"According to the analysis of South Korean professional football commentators, head coach Stielike has not brought them any improvement in technique and tactics. On the contrary, the group stage exposed obvious problems such as weak attacking ability and unreasonable defensive lineup."

"Let's see who China's opponent will be in the quarterfinals?"

On the field, South Korea and Australia lived up to their reputation as title favorites, playing at a significantly faster pace than other teams.

Moreover, Australia's defense is very resolute, not only fierce but also highly aggressive, making the most of their physical advantages.

Even though the South Korean team has good physical attributes, they were still suppressed by Australia.

The 37th minute of the game.

Ki Sung-yueng delivered a through ball from the left flank, Son Heung-min quickly made a run forward and crossed from a tight angle to find his teammate in front of goal.

Unfortunately, Li Tingxie's shot was blocked by a defender.

"South Korea's wing attacks are still fast, but this is entirely dependent on Son Heung-min!"

"This advantage lies in individual speed, not in the rhythm of offensive and defensive transitions. The Korean team's offensive pace is still too slow!"

"I feel this match might end in a draw!"

The camera panned to the sidelines, where Australia's head coach, Postcoglou, frowned slightly. He had previously coached the Australian youth team and Brisbane Roar, among other teams.

He has a good understanding of the Australian players and was involved in the process of shifting the technical style towards European styles.

He knew that the South Korean team's advantage on the flanks was similar to that of the Chinese team, both relying on the individual ability of a single player to break through.

Therefore, he assigned two defensive players to focus on guarding Son Heung-min.

The effect was good; Son Heung-min was unable to utilize his ball-handling skills, and the few opportunities he had were mostly off-the-ball runs.

So all we need to do next is solidify the midfield.
The South Korean team is currently in a transitional phase, and the absence of Lee Chung-yong and Koo Ja-cheol has weakened their midfield organization and attack.

Ki Sung-yueng lost his way in the jungle of muscles again and failed to perform at his usual level.

The game was dragged out for 60 minutes.

Postcoglou's furrowed brows relaxed. In fact, he had considered deliberately losing to South Korea to play against China.

But after the Chinese team finished playing the first two games, he changed his mind after seeing Qin Ming's phenomenal performance.

He absolutely cannot face the Chinese team at this stage, otherwise he will lack the determination to win.

Whoosh! Gasps of surprise erupted from the stands as fans witnessed Burns elbow Park Joo-ho in the nose while vying for the ball.

The latter immediately felt dizzy and bled profusely, and was carried off the field on a stretcher.

However, the referee only gave Burns a yellow card.

South Korean fans at the stadium began shouting curses, accusing Australia of bribing the referee and calling the decision completely unreasonable.

As for why they know so much about it?
Because they've done it before.

Just a few minutes later, Son Heung-min broke through on the wing, and Franjic decisively engaged in physical confrontation.

Milligan, standing nearby, stretched out her leg to intercept the ball.

*Thud!* No one knew exactly what happened, but Son Heung-min was seen clutching his leg and wailing.

But the referee saw it fairly clearly.

Milligan stepped on Son Heung-min's ankle, which was clearly a foul, so he also showed him a yellow card.

The South Korean fans at the scene cursed even more fiercely upon seeing this.

"Xiba!"

"Xiba!"

Even South Korean head coach Uli Stielike complained to the fourth official, believing that the referee's decisions were clearly biased.

However, their demands went unanswered.

Postcoglu smiled when he saw this.

He intends to use a high-intensity, physical style of play to wear down the South Korean players' stamina in the early and mid-game.

In addition, they used aggressive defense, or in other words, played dirty, to curb the South Korean team's attack.

It now appears that his predictions have come true.

The rest of the game was quite simple, with time ticking away.

The match is over!

"South Korea and Australia played to a 0-0 draw, so Australia will advance as group winners due to their superior goal difference!"

"Therefore, China's opponent in the quarterfinals will be South Korea!"

"Judging from the South Korean team's performance today, they don't seem to have found their form yet!"

"But considering their opponent was Australia, even though they didn't find enough good opportunities in attack, they withstood Australia's midfield strangulation and managed a draw despite only having 33% possession!"

"I think this is enough to prove the strength of the South Korean team!"

"It will definitely not be easy for the Chinese team to advance to the semifinals!"

"Come on!"

Brisbane Stadium.

Son Heung-min sat on the grass to rest, looking at his sneakers, a smiling face appearing in his mind.

Qin Ming.

The two had previously faced off in the Bundesliga, with Qin Ming emerging victorious.

After the match, they agreed to meet again at the Asian Cup.

I never expected that a casual remark I made back then would actually come true.

He had been following Qin Ming since the start of the Asian Cup, watching him score four goals in two matches and top the Asian Cup scoring charts.

He is in a hurry.

He could find excuses for not being as good as Qin Ming at the club, such as not having De Bruyne.

But what about the national team?
The South Korean team is stronger than the Chinese team.

"So we can't lose this game. I'm going to the Premier League next season, so I have to perform even better."

Son Heung-min silently cheered himself up.

During this time, in order to improve his skills, he did not go to see the girl group members and lived an ascetic life.

After watching the game at the training base, Perrin clapped his hands and said:

"The South Korean team will definitely not take the initiative to defend against us, but will instead focus on advancing quickly down the flanks around Son Heung-min."

"Then we need to focus our defenses on that side. As for what to do on the other side? It's simple: attack!"

"Playing the bus game against the South Korean team is useless. They are stronger and faster than us, so we definitely can't stop them."

"We must move the battle line to the midfield and forward areas."

Perrin didn't say much; the knockout stage wouldn't start for another five days, and they would first face North Korea.

Qin Ming ignored the others and instead glanced inside the car.

The name is strange.

But the South Korean full-back performed well today, almost like he was channeling Maicon – solid defense, sharp attack, and plenty of stamina.

When I face him, I'll have to prepare myself properly.

Otherwise, if they are contained like Son Heung-min, it will be extremely difficult for the Chinese team to win. In other words, they themselves are the key to victory.

The second day at Canberra Stadium.

The third round of Group B matches in the AFC Asian Cup has begun. "Run! Run!"

Perrin shouted angrily.

Since China had already qualified for the next round and he used a rotating lineup, the players inevitably became somewhat complacent.

But this was definitely not the scene he wanted to see.

"We saw Qin Ming sitting on the bench. Perrin probably wanted him to conserve his energy for the match against South Korea in four days."

"But it's clear that China's offensive intensity drops a notch when Qin Ming isn't on the court."

"But just now, North Korean striker Pak Kwang-ryong took a long-range shot from outside the box, and Yu Hai, who was closest to him, didn't make time to block it. If the shot hadn't hit the crossbar, the score would have been different."

"Are the national football team players too relaxed and have lost the execution they should have?"

"Who would give you that kind of rhythm against the South Korean team, allowing you to play offense and defense transitions in the second half?"

He Wei also criticized without holding back.

Praise should be given where appropriate, and criticism should be given where appropriate, based on performance on the field, not previous results.

During halftime, Perrin unleashed a torrent of anger.

Don't assume he has a good temper.

"Do you realize that if you keep playing like this, North Korea will quickly gain momentum, our midfield control will decrease, and our defense will keep retreating? Don't you feel that?"

"If you want to play against South Korea in this state, then I can tell you very clearly that you will not win!"

Perrin was so angry that his hands were trembling.

According to his pre-match plan, the Chinese national football team should control the pace of the game and win with less physical exertion.

After all, the South Korean team had an extra day of rest compared to them.

"Get your relaxed mindset back on track. Start with midfield organization and interception, and begin with the most basic passing and movement!"

"Stop playing like a timid miser, show the spirit you had when playing against Uzbekistan!"

"I want a three-game winning streak!"

Perrin slammed his hand on the tactical board and then turned and left the locker room.

The national football team players remained silent, but their complacency had dissipated, and they had also recognized their mistakes.

In the second half, the Chinese national team changed its previous sluggish performance and, as Perrin requested, first built a midfield interception line. Although it was not at a very high level, North Korea was not a strong team either.

Then, led by Wu Xi, the organization was strengthened, and the feeling of passing and cutting was regained.

"The spirit of the North Korean team members is truly strong!"

"Even though they're already out of contention for the next round, they'll still give it their all in the match!"

He Wei thought of the rumors circulating online.

They said that if the North Korean team members didn't fight hard, they might end up like the Italian team members in the past, being collectively killed by the dictator.

Of course, this is a very nonsensical guess.

In the 65th minute, Hao Junmin, who replaced Qin Ming in the starting lineup, received the ball on the wing, dribbled past Zhang Chenghe who was pressing forward, and used a brilliant penetrating through ball to break through North Korea's defensive line on the flank.

Gao Lin, facing a chasing defender, turned around to protect the ball and passed it to Yu Hai.

Yu Hai changed direction and got past Lu Xuezhu!

"A shot from a tight angle!"

"Beautiful! In the 65th minute, Yu Hai scored the crucial goal, and China finally took the lead!"

He Wei breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although the Chinese team has already qualified, if they lose or draw this match, their two-game winning streak will be over.

People often say that football is like modern warfare, and in war, how many armies rely on that kind of spirit to defeat opponents who are stronger on paper?

On the sidelines, Perrin walked to the bench and waved to Qin Ming.

Although Qin Ming should get more rest, he still needs to play in order to maintain his form; it's just a matter of controlling his playing time.

Qin Ming nodded, put on his warm-up vest, and replaced Hao Junmin five minutes later.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

For Chinese football fans today, Qin Ming is not only the sharpest weapon of the national team, but also the person on whom they place their hopes.

After the match started, the Chinese team's offensive rhythm became more and more stable, mainly because Qin Ming was able to hold onto the ball.

Moreover, he has difficulty playing the playmaking role in the Bundesliga, but he can still take on that responsibility in the national team.

"I fell into a misconception. I thought that if I followed my plan, I could control the situation on the field, but the result was..."

Perrin observed that the Chinese national team's rhythm had become noticeably smoother. "The reason is that my previous tactical intentions were executed decisively and efficiently. However, they played very hesitantly in the first half. Some thought they should continue to attack, while others thought they should defend and counter-attack."

As the saying goes, "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."

In high-intensity, fast-paced games, players have no time to think or adjust, and those who can do so are all star players.

The head coach's on-the-spot adjustments also have limited effect.

"The solution is to let a strong enough person set the pace and get the others on the field to subconsciously agree on the same thing."

Perrin felt that Qin Ming's arrival was a gift from God, not only solving the problem of a weak attack, but also allowing the national team players to stop hesitating.

The 83th minute of the game.

Qin Ming received the ball on the wing and dribbled towards the middle. The North Korean players rushed towards him as if facing a formidable enemy.

The attack was fierce, but the loopholes were large.
Qin Ming recalled his previous assessment of the North Korean team, and his gaze swept across the encirclement, discovering a flaw in it.

He chose the simplest way to get past his opponent: he pushed the ball forward with his right foot and sprinted off the grass with his left foot.

At the same time, the North Korean team members realized something was wrong and accelerated their encirclement and pressing.

However, Qin Ming managed to break through the encirclement by using his explosive power.

"A complete physical domination!"

"Qin Ming broke through the North Korean midfield defense, played a one-two with Gao Lin who was in open space, and entered the penalty area!"

"Li Mingguo rushed out in front of the goal, and Qin Ming opted for a delicate chip shot. Goal!"

"China scored the winning golden goal in the final stages of the match!"

"Look at the smooth attack of the Chinese team this time. If Zheng Zhi is the soul of our backcourt, then Qin Ming is the core of the frontcourt!"

"With or without him, the Chinese team is completely different!"

On the court, after celebrating, Qin Ming glanced at the time and realized that there wasn't much time left, so he could drag it out until the end.

Although he also wanted to score more goals.

But judging from the expressions on the North Korean players' faces, he felt that if he dared to try any more fancy tricks, he would definitely get a hard tackle later.

It's because they have no hope of qualifying.

They might just want to drag someone down with them to relieve their frustration.

Perrin, with the same idea in mind, pressed his hands down on his players, signaling them to slow down the pace of the game.

In the end, North Korea's last-ditch effort failed to produce results, and they had to end their Asian Cup campaign with three losses in three matches.

They wondered what punishment awaited their general.

"Winning all three matches and topping the group stage, achieving the best result in history!"

"But the poor performance in the first half should serve as a wake-up call for the Chinese team!"

"I hope the Chinese national football team will continue their efforts and face South Korea with even better form!"

After the match, the Chinese team did not leave immediately. Perrin had the players who did not play do shuttle run training.

What do you mean?
A fierce battle is about to begin!

After washing up, Qin Ming returned to the field and said to the boy next to Zheng Zhi, "What should you call me?"

The boy came running over excitedly: "Brother."

(End of this chapter)