Football: A late bloomer, starting with Leicester City

Chapter 170 The first round is over and the major newspapers are discussing it (asking for monthly votes)
After Belgium missed a great opportunity, Italy also wasted one more than 70 minutes into the game.

"Oh!"

They launched an offensive from the wing, and the cross ball they sent first found the head of forward Edel. Edel flicked his head and completed an alley-oop with Pellet.

Pellet then shook his head and hit a header with excellent power and quality, but unfortunately it missed the goal.

"damn it."

Conte on the sidelines hugged his head and shook his hands regretfully.

Courtois has surrendered with this ball. As long as it reaches the goal frame, it will result in a goal.

This attack undoubtedly sounded the alarm for the Belgian team, allowing them to take into account the situation behind them when attacking.

Time continues to move forward minute by minute, and neither party dares to be careless.

Belgium is conducting more transfers, trying to break open the opponent's defense and create opportunities.

However, in this kind of intercontinental level competition, the Italian players are very motivated.

No one will be lazy. Everyone will move closely with the overall formation and will not give opportunities easily.

It looked like the game was going to end like this.

Subsequently, Conte made the first substitution adjustment.

Immobile came on for Eder and stood at center with Pellet.

Wilmots was also not to be outdone, and then replaced Nainggolan with Fellaini to strengthen the control of the frontcourt.

This move did have some effect. The physically energetic Fellaini maintained a full sense of oppression for a period of time, making Belgium's offense feel somewhat revitalized.

It's a pity that the final kick was still a little lacking, and no one could stand up at this time.

After Chen Yufeng scored a goal, his physical fitness declined seriously during this period, and he gradually lost his ability to score goals.

This made his desire to improve his physical fitness stronger again, and he will definitely train during the next offseason.

After a year of such high-intensity training, he was actually very exhausted.

But maybe, now is not the time to stop...

In other words, if he wants to stand in a better position in the future competition, there will never be time to stop.

This is a test of willpower, a battle between soul and body.

In the second minute of game No. 80, the substitution card was raised on the sidelines and Carrasco came on to replace Chen Yufeng.

"Clap clap clap clap..."

Under the applause of all the fans, Chen Yufeng walked towards the end of the field and sat on the bench.

Carrasco touched the turf and came out.

"Well done, how does it feel to score a goal?" Wilmots walked next to Chen Yufeng and stretched out his hand towards Chen Yufeng.

Chen Yufeng shook his hand and said with a smile: "It's very good. The atmosphere of the European Cup is very hot."

"There will be more to come. I hope you can continue to maintain good condition." Wilmots smiled slightly and then personally brought Chen Yufeng a sports drink. "I have to rely on you on the offensive line."

Chen Yufeng opened it, took a sip, nodded and said, "Of course, I will do my best."

He actually has a good feeling about this coach. Although he is not very capable, he is very good in other aspects.

Every coach is different. The players only need to do their best and work hard for the team.

On such a stage, since he has the opportunity to play, he does not need to complain, even if the team may lose.

Chen Yufeng's idea really came true.

In the 809th minute of the game, Italian right back Candreva took the ball and launched a counterattack at high speed.

Belgium's entire left defense line was empty, and Candreva almost dribbled the ball directly towards the penalty area.

"Oh!"

The subsequent pass directly found Pellet, who was unmarked at the back position.

Pellet stopped the ball with one kick. Facing this last great opportunity, he didn't want to be the team's sinner!

"Bang!" His right foot hit the mid-bottom of the football hard, sending the ball into the blind spot on the right side, hitting Courtois without any reaction.

"Yeahhhhhhh...!!"

The Italian fans at the scene were excited again. Pelle spread his hands with excitement and rushed to the side of the court to celebrate.

"Oh!" Conte also roared to the sky on the sidelines of the court, shouting crazily and pumping his fists in celebration.

Two to one!

With only a few minutes left in the game, it can be said that they defeated the strongest opponent in the group, the Belgian team!
After scoring three points in this game, Conte really can't think of a reason why the Italian team cannot qualify!

The Belgian players lowered their heads and became the backdrop for the Italian players to celebrate.

Frustrated, they returned to their positions and waited for another kickoff.

They know Italy's iron-blooded defense. In this limited time, it is almost impossible for them to equalize the score again.

Wilmots on the sidelines stood here with some embarrassment, knowing that he was about to be discussed by the media.

Led such a star-studded Belgian team, but failed to perform as promised in the past.

He also knows that the team's loss is largely due to his tactical inaction...

"Beep! Beep! Beep—!"

Not long after, the referee's three whistles sounded, announcing the end of the game.

Against the background of the Italians' wild celebrations, the Belgian players took one last look at the Lyon Stadium and then left the venue.

They lost the first game of the group stage. This will definitely make their qualifying situation less optimistic.

If they still can't win the next games against Ireland and Sweden, they may even fail in the group stage and go home early.

This is undoubtedly a shame for the first-tier teams in this tournament.

Panic spread throughout the team, which prevented most players from calming down and expressing their emotions in the locker room.

"Lukaku, if your shooting is still so poor, I suggest you go to the youth team to practice."

Midfielder Nainggolan was very dissatisfied with Lukaku. Chen Yufeng played an eye-catching game in this game and brought at least two excellent opportunities to Lukaku, but the latter did not score.

If those two goals had scored one goal, maybe the Italians would be disappointed now.

Lukaku sat there a little aggrievedly, not knowing what to say, but just used ice cubes to cool himself down.

"You really need to practice your shooting. I don't know if it's because of your mentality or your footwork, why you wasted the opportunity like that." Witsel next to him also started to complain.

Even some defenders started to blame, as if they had to find a culprit for this game.

"All right!"

Wilmots walked in quickly and stood in front of everyone with a frown.

As the old captain of the national team, he has always been a big brother and can suppress these people.

This is also the reason why the Belgian Football Association chose him.

"If I lose, I'll go back and make a summary. Don't blame my teammates. It's my responsibility."

Wilmots looked around and continued: "Everyone, think about it here. I'm going to face the reporters outside. Don't let the reporters spread any more embarrassing news about internal strife!"

"I will take the responsibility and hope everyone goes well in the next game!"

After saying this, Wilmots headed outside for a press conference.

All the players lowered their heads, as if they didn't want to talk anymore.

Azar did not assume the role of captain at this time. He was playing with his fingers and was unwilling to open the topic.

The atmosphere at the scene fell into a strange atmosphere. Even the breathing of the players became quieter later on. No one seemed to want to be the focus of others' attention.

"It's really hard for me to understand that a team full of stars would be like this."

At this moment, Chen Yufeng finally stood up and spoke. As England's double champion this year, his words may be more effective than most people.

It's not about skin color, it's not about age.

"When we were at Leicester City, we didn't even dare to think about the championship at first, but we still gave our best in every game."

"Even if we lose in the end, the only person we blame is ourselves and why we didn't do more, not our teammates, coaches, or anyone else."

Chen Yufeng continued while changing his sneakers: "This is just the first game of the group stage. If everyone has this mentality, then why are we playing?"

"Now just give up and go home. Don't compete for the championship anymore."

"It's not like we can't get out of the line. What's the hurry? Do the rumored infighting teams have to strictly maintain their own traditions and continue to quarrel at this time?"

"Even if we beat Ireland in the next game and Sweden in the next game, as long as the team doesn't perform well in one half, are we going to put pressure on each other's teammates?"

At this point, Chen Yufeng finally breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Of course you can refute what I said, or you can say that I am not qualified to be funny here."

"But I think you will understand that you can't win anything by fighting against me. Fighting against your own emotions will make it possible for us to go further."

After saying this, even Mertens, who had always been dissatisfied with Chen Yufeng, lowered his head and said nothing.

…………

Off-field stands, Belgian fans area.

Taylor Swift and her female assistant both felt a little disappointed and were ready to go back after watching the celebration after the game in Italy.

"It's a pity that if they didn't waste the opportunity, it might be the Belgian team and the Belgian players who are celebrating like this now." Taylor Swift sighed.

"Yes, now that the game is over, Belgium's qualifying situation is in danger." the female assistant added.

"In other words, the Belgian team may not continue playing after the game?" Taylor Swift didn't particularly understand the rules.

She is an American. Most sports in the United States are in a league system, which is different from the European competition system.

"Yes, if they lose this game, they will be on the verge of life and death. If they lose again, they will probably have to go home early." The female assistant nodded.

"Then I still hope they don't lose." Taylor Swift shook her head and then asked: "When is the next game?"

"Four days later."

"Let's see when the time comes. I want to see how far this team, which is destined to us, can go."

"Who do you value on this team?"

"No one."

…………

That night, as all the games in the first round of the European Cup ended, media around the world began to publish reports, hyping up this wave of enthusiasm.

"The French team easily won the opening game. Payet performed well and beat Romania with a super world wave. If he maintains his form, he may even hope to compete for the best player in the European Cup. Whether he can play his worth will be the battle." - "France Football News" 》

"Modric shocked the world and locked in the top ten goals in the tournament in advance." - "Croatia Evening News"

"Wilmots' team lost to the Italian team [-]-[-] in the first round and was on the verge of dismissal. Chen Yufeng scored the first goal for Belgium in this European Cup, proving the strength of the best player in the Premier League." - " The Guardian

"Bale reappeared his god-level free kick skills and defeated Slovakia with a heavy elevator ball, helping Wales take all three points." - "The Times"

"After the first round of the group stage, Belgium was upset, and no other team was upset. This makes people worried about Belgium's qualifying situation and future direction." - "French Entertainment Agency"

(End of this chapter)