The template of Madoka Kaname: I rose from adversity to the summit.

Chapter 149 Who Can Save the Day in Times of Crisis? [National Football Team Story, Three-in-One]

February 5, Shenyang.

As night fell, the warmth left over from the day had long since dissipated.

The Football Association chose this location for this crucial match to determine qualification primarily because of the weather.

Australia has a warm and humid climate, while Shenyang is cold and dry. Even if it only has the slightest impact on the game, we must do our best to maximize our advantage.

Moreover, Shenyang is the place where the Chinese national football team qualified for the 2002 World Cup, and is regarded as a "lucky place" for the national team, giving it an inherent psychological advantage as the home team.

A red wave surged into the Olympic Sports Center like a raging torrent. Chinese fans were already poised to cheer on the national team and disrupt the Australian team with their most enthusiastic shouts.

With only four games remaining to qualify, fans are eagerly anticipating a miracle.

The resounding national anthem echoed throughout the stadium, and the commentators were already in place.

He Wei and Xu Yang began their opening remarks: "CCTV, CCTV, good evening, viewers. This is the live broadcast of the crucial fourth round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where the Chinese team is hosting the Australian team."

"Winning this match will secure our place in the intercontinental playoffs!"

"We're getting closer and closer to the World Cup finals. Needless to say, in the first match, the Chinese team has the home advantage and must go all out to win!"

Xu Yang chimed in, "I have more and more confidence in the Chinese team. I hope they give it their all and show their best!"

"Next, I will introduce the Australian team's lineup to you."

Australia's lineup: (3-2-2-3)

Goalkeeper: Matthew Ryan (No. 1)

Defenders: Jullmann (left, #6), Sainsbury (#20), Risdon (right, #19)

Defensive midfielders: Milligan (No. 5), Degenek (No. 2)

Midfielders: Mooy (No. 13, playmaker), Kluze (No. 10, forward runner)

Forwards: Bejic (left, No. 16), Juric (center, No. 9), Matthew Leckie (right, No. 7)

Xu Yang said solemnly, "This match should not be underestimated. Matthew Ryan is the starting goalkeeper for Brighton in the English Premier League, and the defense also has several players based in Europe, playing for teams in the Norwegian Eliteserien, Turkish Super League, and other leagues. They are experienced in major competitions."

"Yes, let's cheer for Team China!!!"

[Is the streamer unprofessional? With Yuan Shen here, what are you afraid of?]

[Exactly! Yuan Shen's value alone is three times that of the entire opposing team!]

Who's really the amateur here? Do you guys think net worth is just a simple addition or subtraction of fighting ability?

The competition did not go as smoothly as people had imagined.

Australian players are all tall and strong, and the Chinese team was clearly at a disadvantage in physical confrontations.

For the first thirty minutes, neither side managed to break the deadlock, and neither scored a single goal.

Yuan Meng finally realized the tricky aspect of Australia's 3-2-2-3 formation.

The Australian team knew that instead of tightly marking Yuan Meng, it was better to lock down the midfielders responsible for supplying the ball forward.

As a result, Zhang Xizhe and Wu Xi were heavily marked by the opposing midfielders.

Yuan Meng was always accompanied by two people: one was the center-back, Jullmann, and the other was the iron-willed defensive midfielder and captain, Milligan.

Only then did he realize why Australia's number 2 full-back had moved inside to the defensive midfield position; it was to make up for the gap left by Milligan's defensive work on the wing.

Since Australia has deployed its tactics so specifically, even abandoning the four-defender formation, Yuan Meng naturally has a countermeasure.

"After receiving the ball, Yuan Meng did not choose to force a breakthrough, but decisively delivered a 45-degree cross!"

"That cross was incredibly accurate; it found Gao Lin!"

"Gao Lin controls the ball with his chest; will he be able to turn successfully?"

"Sainsbury is putting pressure on Gao Lin, and he can't hold onto the ball."

Yuan Meng was speechless for a moment. How could this ball be defended one-on-one?

After intercepting the ball, the Australian team quickly launched a counter-attack. The ball fell to the feet of attacking midfielder Mooy, who decisively delivered a beautiful cross. Number 9, Juric, leaped high and headed the ball into the goal!

He Wei suddenly stood up and threw a punch: "Zeng Cheng, you're good!"

Xu Yang breathed a sigh of relief: "My heart was pounding in my chest. Just hold on, proceed steadily, and don't rush!"

"Zeng Cheng, Zeng Cheng, Zeng Cheng!!!"

The fans chanted the hero's name in unison.

The Chinese team remained pinned back in their own half, and under the strong pressure from the Australian team in the middle, Zheng Zhi struggled to pass the ball out.

Right-back Zhang Linpeng is a typical defensive defender who lacks the ability to push forward.

For a time, the Chinese team struggled to advance the ball into the attacking third.

Lippi quickly gestured to Yuan Meng, signaling him to retreat and receive the ball.

Yuan Meng nodded and quickly returned to the backline to provide support.

It seems that attacking football won't work in this match; a solid defense is the best strategy.

In the 41st minute, the Australian team was awarded a corner kick.

Mooy is standing in the corner flag area; he's a player for the Premier League team Huddersfield Town.

"Be careful when taking a corner kick!"

"It's over!"

"Juric heads the ball!"

"Goal! This was clearly a classic misjudgment. Juric had two men around him, but neither could stop him from jumping."

After falling behind by one goal, the fans in the stadium fell into a brief silence before erupting into even more enthusiastic shouts.

Go China!

"Don't back down!"

"Yuan Meng, attack!"

[Yuan Shen, please save us!]

[Damn it, they can't even pass the ball out!]

[Can you please stop making Yuan Meng drop back and move him to the frontcourt?]

The first half finally came to an end, with the Australian team failing to extend their lead, while the Chinese team's ground defense was quite solid.

Lippi knew that this was far from enough, and he had to find a way to equalize the score in the second half!

"In the 50th minute of the match, Zhang Yuning came on as a substitute, replacing Gao Lin."

"Gao Lin suffered a lot in physical confrontations today, and Coach Lippi's move is to increase the toughness of the attacking third."

"The Chinese team has started to decisively launch long passes!"

"Excellent! The Australian players have completely surrounded Yuan Meng, creating an opening on the left flank!"

"Wu Lei dribbles straight into the ribs, Zhang Yuning taps him with the instep!"

"He's one-on-one with the opponent!"

The stadium erupted in cheers, then only a sigh remained, as the goalposts were not on the Chinese team's side.

As Yuan Meng ran back, she encouraged Wu Lei: "The opportunity has been created, it's just a little bit short, keep playing like this, be more determined!"

'

In the 65th minute, the Australian team was awarded a free kick.

They resorted to their old tricks again, and this time, their aerial defense in the penalty area failed once more. The defenders focused too much on the opponent's number 9, allowing number 10, Kluze, to take over the position at the top of the penalty area.

The ball was deflected to the edge of the penalty area, and Kluze unleashed a powerful shot that found the back of the net.

The Olympic Sports Center fell silent. Some fans couldn't bear to watch any longer. If the home team played like this, they couldn't imagine how they would fare playing away.

Despite this, the Chinese team players remained highly motivated, with Zheng Zhi frequently shouting to boost morale.

The Chinese team is different now. With Yuan Meng on the team, there is still hope for the competition!

Yuan Meng knew that he had to take a gamble; continuing to play in the conventional way would be futile, as the forwards had wasted far too many opportunities today.

Inconsistent performance is indeed a major weakness of the Chinese team, which is precisely due to a lack of experience in major competitions.

The game has entered its final ten minutes.

"Yuan Mengnei receives the ball in midfield, and Wu Lei is making a run."

"Yuan Meng dribbled forward, but he didn't rush to pass."

"A fake pass followed by a dunk—that move was truly world-class!"

"Yuan Meng has decided to do it herself!"

Australia's number 5, Milligan, immediately closed in. He was physically excellent, and Yuan Meng didn't want to get entangled with him too much, so she decided to attack his weakness of inaccurate steals!

【Whirlwind Breakthrough】

[Proficiency: 30→40 (Mastery)]

The cold wind howled behind her, and Yuan Meng was fully focused.

Milligan, who was in the same position, couldn't keep up with Yuan Meng's dribbling pace and didn't dare to make a sliding tackle easily. She could only watch helplessly as she was overtaken and then frantically chased back!

"Yuan Meng has gotten past Milligan, and the center-back quickly covers!"

"It's no use. Yuan Meng spikes the ball again, changing direction with lightning speed, dazzling the eye!"

"Zhang Yuning successfully suppressed the center-back, Yuan Meng scores!"

"GOAL!!!!!"

"We've pulled one back!"

"This means the Chinese team still retains hope of a comeback!"

The fans erupted in cheers, and flags bearing Yuan Meng's name and portrait were raised high, fluttering freely in the wind.

The only sound in the stadium was the voices of Chinese fans.

"Yuan Meng! Yuan Meng! Yuan Meng!"

"Take us to fulfill our dream of winning a World Cup!"

Unfortunately, China's final attack was thwarted, and Yuan Meng was unable to find a good shooting opportunity.

The final whistle blew, and the Chinese team trailed the Australian team 1-2 at home.

With no time to calm down or reflect, the Chinese team rested for only one night before heading to Australia to familiarize themselves with the local environment.

Coach Lippi urgently convened a meeting with his coaching staff, focusing on only one issue: how to counter the Australian team's aerial tactics.

To be honest, the conclusion was not ideal.

Unlike the league, the national team doesn't have a lot of time for a head coach to make comprehensive adjustments, and even substitutions must be made with caution.

All Lippi could do was adjust the positions of a few players, assigning Feng Xiaoting, who has decent aerial ability, to mark Australia's most threatening number 9.

Another strategy is to pile up some players near the goalposts to force the Australian team to take corner kicks as far as possible.

This would reduce the success rate of corner kicks, and the curve might not be as perfect.

Simply put, there's very little room for improvement for the Chinese team; increasing the Australian team's error rate is the right approach.

After all, improving overall strength depends on the players' individual awareness, which cannot be achieved overnight.

The second adjustment was to replace Gao Lin with Zhang Yuning as the starting center.

Gao Lin has more refined technique, with superior back-to-goal and footwork skills. However, he has a clear weakness when facing the Australian team: he is at a disadvantage in physical confrontations and cannot fully utilize his skills.

Zhang Yuning is young and ambitious, and although his technique is somewhat rough, his experience competing against European players is particularly important.

On October 10th, the second battle began.

This time, the live stream was much noisier.

How many more times will Yuan Shen have to save us?

I think they got cocky after winning a few games; they're playing with none of the spirit they showed in the previous matches!

With this kind of performance, they'd be eliminated in the World Cup in a flash!

[Yuan Shen, couldn't you have done another hat trick?]

"Holy crap, buddy, that's a bit much!"

What's wrong? Can't I even have a dream?

"This time, the Chinese team will face the Australian team away from home. We were down by one goal in the last round, so we must take the initiative in this match!"

To strike?

Not a single drop!

Lippi continued to adopt a solid defensive approach.

The reason is simple: the Chinese team does not have the ability to launch a full-scale attack. If they rashly attack, their defense will easily be torn apart.

Therefore, only Yuan Meng can make the attack. The others just need to try to hold onto the score. As long as Yuan Meng is in top form and scores the first goal, the Chinese team will still have hope.

For the first twenty minutes, the game was uneventful. The Australian team only made tentative attacks by bombarding the Chinese team with crosses, while the two defensive midfielders stayed in a deeper position to guard against the Chinese team's counterattacks.

After a successful clearance, the ball fell to Zheng Zhi's feet, and he delivered a long pass without hesitation!

"Here it comes, the opportunity has arrived!"

"Yuan Meng charged forward alone."

"Zhang Xizhe and Wu Xi made forward runs, and Yuan Meng and Zhang Xizhe executed a one-two pass!"

"The teamwork worked!"

This time, Australia's number 5, Milligan, learned her lesson and shoveled the ball earlier!

Yuan Meng flicked the ball, bypassing Milligan's foot, but was herself brought down to the ground.

Beep!

"If the referee blows the whistle, will they give a card?"

"They didn't give out any cards this time? Did they think it was still early?"

[Corrupt refereeing!]

Why aren't they giving out cards?

[Oh no, did the referee buy the ticket?!]

Yuan Meng didn't care about it. Anyway, this kind of tackle wouldn't get him a card in the Premier League. He was used to it. A free kick was enough for him.

"The referee pulled Milligan aside and warned her, and it was a direct free kick."

"Yuan Meng is standing at the penalty spot. The ball is far from the goal. Let's see how the Chinese team will execute their play."

boom!

Yuan Meng swung her leg powerfully, and the ball shot over the wall of players like an arrow, flying towards the far corner!

Even Premier League-level goalkeeper Matthew Ryan didn't expect Yuan Meng to dare to shoot directly at the goal!

The King of Curves

[Proficiency: 80→90 (Mastery)]

The ball plummeted downwards, bypassing Matthew Ryan's outstretched arm!

Swish!

"Goal! Goal!!!!!"

"Graceful as a startled swan, lithe as a swimming dragon!"

"Yuan Meng, he is our Cristiano Ronaldo! Our Juninho! Our pride!"

Xu Yang quickly said, "That was a fantastic goal, but we need to keep attacking. The score is now tied, but we're down by one goal due to away goals."

"That's right!" He Wei nodded in agreement. "Coach Lippi didn't panic. He played steadily today, and his corner kick defense has clearly improved. Let's see if we have another chance!"

"Yuan Meng, one more in!"

A unified roar erupted from the away fans' section.

Go China!

Go China!

Go China!

In this do-or-die match, the Chinese players clearly began to go all out, not in offense, but in defense.

Everyone is trying to steal the ball!

The frequency of game pauses is increasing, and the games are becoming more fragmented.

On the Chinese team's side, Li Xuepeng and Wu Xi both received yellow cards.

The same was true for the Australian team. Their defensive midfielder Milligan, who was defending Yuan Meng, became more restrained in his actions, which led to center-back Jullman receiving the first yellow card.

Halftime, in the locker room.

Lippi was boosting morale, and the interpreter's lips were moving rapidly, never stopping.

"The time to give it our all has come!"

"Confrontation must be firm, but we must also remain calm!"

"If we concede a goal, don't panic, keep looking for opportunities to pass to Yuan Meng."

"If Yuan Meng is surrounded by multiple defenders, Wu Lei should definitely cut inside!"

Captain Zheng Zhi had everyone form a circle, with the players putting their hands on each other's shoulders.

Yuan Meng looked around and saw determined looks in their eyes.

Excellent, that's the spirit!

possible!

Zheng Zhi led the chant: "China, you will win!!!"

"Victory is certain!"

"Rush!"

The second half began with the teams switching sides.

Australia, you've let me down this time!

Go China!

This shade of red will never fade!

The fans were extremely tense, and the players and coaches on the field were no less so.

They came on with an air of certain victory, but after ten minutes, both sides started making more mistakes.

The players' actions became rough, the tackling between the two sides became heated, the referee frequently stopped the game, and the match became fragmented.

Very well, the chaotic battle is about to begin!

In the 71st minute of the match, Li Xuepeng was stepped on during a tackle and could not continue playing. Jiang Zhipeng...

Take the stage.

In the 74th minute, Milligan, who had been battling Yuan Meng throughout the match, sprained her ankle, and number 23 Rogic came on as a substitute.

Furthermore, both teams' backfield players received numerous yellow cards.

China has four cards, and Australia has three.

This situation continued until the 88th minute, when both sides were running out of energy.

Australia has won a corner kick, after which they will focus entirely on defense.

The away goal rule is different, and there is no extra time. The Chinese team must hold on and make one last desperate effort!

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Musa took the kick, and the ball fell in the center of the penalty area. Feng Xiaoting suddenly jumped up and collided with Australia's substitute number 17!

Both of them fell to the ground, and neither of them got up.

No one cared about their injuries because the ball landed near the top of the penalty arc.

Zheng Zhi roared, "Take the second point!"

Deng Hanwen was closest, and with a diving header, he headed the ball forward!

"Zhang Yuning got the ball and passed it to Yuan Meng on the wing!"

"Australia only has five players in their backcourt, Yuan Meng starts to break through!"

"A lightning-fast burst of speed, and he's over number 21, Luongo!"

"A spike and a change of direction, getting past number 2, Degenek!"

"A Marseille turn, getting past the onrushing number 3, Smith!"

Why did Yuan Meng shoot immediately? There was a center-back blocking him up there!!!

"What kind of view is this?!"

"Yuan Meng is passing the ball; Wu Lei is unmarked, the goalkeeper is at the near post, and there's no one marking the far post!"

Wu Lei taps the ball into the empty net!

"He redeemed himself by doing good deeds!"

"China leads 2-0, the overall score is now 3-2!"

Wu Lei turned and rushed towards Yuan Meng, and the two hugged each other tightly!

"Great pass! Awesome! Thank you!" Wu Lei was already incoherent. He was the one who was criticized the most for missing a one-on-one chance in the last game.

Yuan Meng patted him on the back: "The competition isn't over yet, we're going to the World Cup!"

"Yes!" Wu Lei quickly ran back.

China is now leading by one goal. In the final moments, everyone is on defense!

[Ahhh! Yuan Shen is awesome! Wu Lei is awesome!]

They've overtaken them! They've overtaken them!

How much time do we have left?

"The match is about to end, with 6 minutes of stoppage time. Time is running out for the Australian team!"

The most agonizing six minutes for the fans are about to begin.

Australian fans let out their final roars, while Chinese fans either clasped their hands in prayer or cheered wildly.

The stands were absolutely wild, and the atmosphere on the field was just as intense. Australia launched a final counterattack, and a Chinese player sacrificed his life to block the shot.

Sweat, blood, and screams mingled together, turning the stadium into the hottest furnace.

Finally, the referee blew the whistle to end the match, and the furnace was released.

"We won! We won!!!"

"China is awesome!"

"Yuan Meng, I want to marry you!"

"You wish! Yuan Meng wants to marry me!"

A female fan standing nearby looked at him with a horrified expression: "If I'm not mistaken, you're a man, right?"

The fans in the stands were in complete chaos, with only bright red flags flying high!

Yuan Meng didn't want to say who it was, but since someone was crying, he could only comfort them from the sidelines.

After all, they only secured fifth place in Asia, and there's still the final intercontinental playoff to play against the fourth-placed team from North and Central America.

[Yuan Shen contributed to two goals with one goal and one assist, saving the Chinese team once again!]

I will never criticize Yuan Shen in my lifetime!

[How can this be criticized?]

[Yuan Shen's jersey has gone up in price again —]

They're no longer available through official channels; you can only buy them on the secondhand market.

[Now it's all about buying in seconds, afraid of missing out.]

[Damn it, I'm so angry! A bunch of people who don't even watch football are reselling jerseys!]

[Yuan Shen's jersey is being resold for 2,000 yuan! I really want one!]

The press conference hall was packed with people.

Yuan Meng accomplished another feat, leading the Chinese team into the intercontinental playoffs.

Now, every step forward the Chinese team takes brings Yuan Meng greater prestige, given the team's poor performance in the first seven rounds of the qualifiers.

Coach Lippi delivered a speech: "The whole team is very confident now. Our coaching staff will do our best to prepare for the intercontinental playoff against Honduras in November. We will give the players our full support!"

The reporter asked, "So, how would you rate this match?"

Lippi smiled and said, "I am very proud of the players' performance. Everyone was not discouraged when they were behind, and that is what I value most."

"The match was very chaotic in the final stages. How is Li Xuepeng's injury? When will he be able to return?"

"According to the initial diagnosis, Li Xuepeng's injury is not very serious and he should be able to play in the November competition. We hope he can recover well."

When the reporter's gaze fell on Yuan Meng, there was an undisguised fervor in his eyes.

"Yuan, you have created another miracle. Your performance today was impeccable. Are you confident in leading the Chinese team to even greater heights?"

Yuan Meng joked with a smile, "Couldn't it be the Chinese team that led me to the World Cup?"

A burst of laughter came from the audience.

"I'm very confident now," Yuan Meng said seriously. "After these few games, I've seen the team improve. The players are gelling better, and the defense is becoming more solid!"

"This is the growth that comes with competition experience!"

Yuan Meng pointed to the badge on her chest: "More importantly, I felt the fighting spirit of my teammates, which is more important than anything else."

"We are a team, and I have more confidence to play well when my teammates perform well."

Papapa

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience!

In the public eye, the Chinese team is like a newborn baby, needing to adapt to the world as quickly as possible. Every time they overcome a strong opponent, it is a test of their own abilities.

With Yuan Meng around, there was an opportunity to continue training.

After the match, Yuan Meng's Instagram and Twitter followers have exceeded ten million.

Yuan Meng's agency hired a Chinese manager to help her with social media promotion in China, and will regularly release training videos and daily updates about Yuan Meng.

This was also Yuan Meng's idea. Now that the time is right, he hopes more people will understand the daily lives of players playing in Europe, the problems they face, and their various experiences.

This is a valuable resource for the next batch of players who want to play abroad, and it also helps new fans understand the difficulties of playing abroad, so that no one will mindlessly criticize "why not go abroad to play?"

Yuan Meng's agency chose Sina Weibo as its platform for cooperation, which is the absolute home turf of the sports channel.

His first video was a tutorial on the Anthony spin.

Yuan Meng never forgets the path she came from.

>