Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

"That was a really bad decision to concede the goal!"

"It seems like our players aren't fully in the game yet. We should be more prepared for this attack from the opponent!"

Even the commentators were shocked by the goal conceded, because the opponent scored so easily.

The Chinese team's defense, especially the back line, had major problems.

"Although Coach Klaus Toppmöller brought on these young players for the purpose of rotation and training, his use of players in some key positions still seems somewhat questionable!"

The Chinese team has a wealth of talent in the midfield and forward positions, but there are actually very few players available in the defense.

Removing all four defenders at once resulted in the Chinese team's defense being as fragile as tofu, crumbling at the slightest touch.

"Let's see if the coach makes any adjustments during halftime. The most important thing now is to stabilize the situation, prevent the opponent from extending their lead, and then seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack. The goal that China conceded was also partly due to their formation being pushed too far forward earlier!"

Although both commentators were somewhat worried and tried to offer advice to the national Olympic team, they appeared relatively calm, and their tone did not reveal any panic or impatience.

This is, after all, just a reserve squad, and we can't expect them to meet the same standards as the main team.

In addition, the Chinese team had already qualified for the next round, so the results of the last round of matches would not have a significant impact on the team. Therefore, everyone was relatively relaxed and did not feel pressured to achieve results.

But after all, it's a game played on home soil in China. If they lose too badly, it would be a loss of face and would be unfair to the fans who came to watch the game live and those who watched it at home.

Therefore, after falling behind, Klaus Toppmöller immediately adjusted the team's tactics.

He focused on defense, only deploying a few players in the attacking third for counter-attacks, and absolutely avoided committing too many players to leave the defense vulnerable, which led to the mistake he made earlier.

So despite the Chinese team falling behind 0-1 early on, the opponent did not find an opportunity to extend their lead in the remainder of the first half, and the 0-1 score remained until halftime.

Inside the locker room, all the substitutes hung their heads, dejectedly waiting to be scolded.

But when Klaus Toppmöller entered the locker room, he did not fly into a rage at them.

Do you think I'm going to yell at you?

Seeing everyone's expressions, how could Klaus Schultz not know what they were thinking?
Gao Lin and the others nodded emphatically; they were truly prepared to face the storm.

Seeing this, Klaus Toppmöller said irritably, "Scolding you will only vent my anger a little, but it won't solve the actual problem. Besides, the mentality of you Chinese players is too fragile. The more I scold you, the worse you will perform, and it will only make things worse!"

He just didn't understand. It was just a game of football, so why did the players seem to be going to war, carrying such a heavy mental burden?

Their strength was not particularly high to begin with, and their mentality affected their performance on the field, resulting in an even worse performance.

He finally understood why Chinese football had been stagnating and even regressing for so many years.

But Klaus Toppmöller's words were a sweeping generalization, and the players in the locker room immediately objected, opening their mouths to refute him.

But the German old man waved his hand:
"Alright, stop wasting time. Instead of arguing with me, you should go to the competition and prove yourselves!"

The Germans are indeed meticulous in their work. In response to the problems that the team encountered in the first half and the characteristics of the opposing players, Klaus Toppmöller made targeted adjustments to the team's attack.

Belgium's footwork is average, but their players are physically outstanding and have a very high average height. In the first half, almost all of their threatening attacks were created by launching high balls.

To curb this, we need to strengthen our defense on the flanks and not allow the opponent to easily launch attacks from the flanks.

This is something that the substitutes in the back line obviously cannot do alone; they need the help of the midfielders, especially the two defensive midfielders.

In addition, during the opponent's attack, the Chinese team's formation cannot retreat too far. Several players need to be left in front to harass the opponent's ball-handler and prevent the opponent from organizing an attack at their leisure.

But simply playing defensively is clearly not enough to tie the score or even win the game, so Klaus Toppmöller had one last trick up his sleeve – a substitution!
"Zhou Haibin, Cui Peng, you guys shouldn't hold back your energy in the second half. Run and fight harder to wear down the opponent's players. I'll bring on the starters around the 65th minute and finish the game in one go!"

The players who were named nodded emphatically. Although they wanted to play the entire game, they knew in their hearts that staying on the field would not help the team win the match.

Rather than dragging the team down with them, it's better to sacrifice yourself for a victory. That way, if they win in the end, they'll get some credit too.

"Lin, you guys get ready to go on stage!"

"Once you're on the court, the opponent will definitely focus their defense on you, so our real killer move isn't you, it's him!"

Klaus Toppmöller's attention was focused on a 21-year-old player who was a complete newcomer to the national Olympic team. He had hardly been called up before and was only included in the 23-man roster at the last minute!
Seeing that all eyes were on him, the man's face turned red, but he didn't back down. Instead, he patted his chest and said firmly, "Coach, you can rest assured and leave it to me!"

……

The second half began quickly, and the two sides switched sides to continue the game.

It's clear that the Belgian team really wants to win.

Perhaps feeling that one goal wasn't enough, they launched a relentless attack on the Chinese team after the start of the second half, hoping to extend their lead as soon as possible and secure the victory.

In this way, they will have the opportunity to compete with Brazil for a place in the knockout stage.

Normally, when it comes to such crucial matches for qualification, both teams' games should be scheduled to take place at the same time.

However, since all the group stage matches in Group C were scheduled to be held at the Shenyang Olympic Sports Center, it was impossible to hold two matches at the same venue. Therefore, the match between Belgium and China was scheduled first, and the match between Brazil and New Zealand was scheduled later.

This arrangement has both advantages and disadvantages for both teams. The Belgians can focus on the game without having to constantly monitor the score of the other match.

Moreover, given Brazil's strength, they are highly likely to beat New Zealand. If their match ends first, the Belgians will have to play under immense pressure.

However, the disadvantage is also obvious: after their match, the initiative to determine the fate of both teams will be in the hands of the Brazilian team.

If Belgium loses, there's nothing to say; Brazil only needs to win to advance.

Even if Belgium wins, given the vast difference in strength between Brazil and New Zealand, they could easily score more goals in the match after knowing the score between Belgium and China, and advance to the knockout stage based on goal difference.

Therefore, the Belgians can only seize every opportunity to score more goals in order to raise their defensive line and make it more difficult for the Brazilians to catch up with them.

However, with the Chinese team adjusting their tactics and significantly strengthening their defense, the Belgians played a lively game but just couldn't score.

After the start of the second half, Cui Peng, Zhou Haibin, and other players about to be substituted diligently implemented the tactics the head coach had laid out in the locker room. They were like mad dogs, tackling the opposing players relentlessly, almost to the point of psychological trauma. They didn't understand that the Chinese team had already qualified, and they were using a reserve lineup, which meant that their tactical intention was to give up on the game.

If that's the case, then why do these players on the field still play so hard?
Aren't you worried about exhaustion or even injury from running and tackling so tirelessly?
The match quickly entered the 60th minute, and seeing that neither team had scored yet, the spectators in the stands were becoming somewhat impatient.

Chinese fans were anxious because their team had failed to equalize, while Belgian fans were anxious because their team had failed to extend their lead.

如果以1:0的比分击败中国队的话，那比利时队的最终成绩将锁定在2胜1负积6分累积1个净胜球。

Although Brazil currently has a goal difference of -2, if they beat New Zealand by a margin of 3-0 or even more, they will eliminate Belgium based on goal difference and head-to-head record.

Although the Brazilian team was badly beaten by the Chinese team in the last game, who can deny their strength based on just one game?

With Brazil's formidable attacking lineup, they are fully capable of racking up a huge goal difference against New Zealand.

Just as fans were having wild speculations, the Chinese team took the lead in making adjustments.

In the 65th minute, the Chinese team substituted Lin Feng for Zhou Haibin.

This substitution immediately drew everyone's attention, because everyone understood a signal: the Chinese team was about to launch a counterattack!

When Chinese fans saw Lin Feng appear, they were all extremely excited, and their previous impatience seemed to vanish instantly.

A warm and sustained round of applause erupted from the stands, with many people even standing up excitedly and shouting Lin Feng's name.

Lin Feng's immense popularity is evident!
Seeing their opponents' popularity, the Belgian defenders, led by Kompany, couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

They had long heard of Lin Feng's prowess, but had never had the chance to face him on the field.

Now the opportunity has finally arrived, but it happens to be a do-or-die match that determines whether Belgium can advance, which has inadvertently amplified the pressure on them.

Not only were the players nervous, but even the Belgian coaching staff felt extremely nervous when they saw Lin Feng take the field.

This guy's threat level is unmatched by any of the Chinese players on the field.

We must mark him tightly, otherwise the victory that Belgium has in hand may slip away!

"Lin Feng's treatment is truly top-notch!"

When the two commentators saw Lin Feng appear, their eyes lit up, and they felt much more at ease, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

Seeing the treatment he receives from the fans, I can't help but sigh.

The two have been commentating on Chinese football for many years, and in both the past and present, no player in the national team has ever had as much popularity and prestige as Lin Feng.

This is quite normal, given that his abilities far surpass those of his predecessors.

Despite the Belgian team intensifying their efforts to target and limit Lin Feng from the moment he entered the game, they were still unable to completely suppress his performance.

Especially when the opponent spent a lot of energy and resources dealing with him, Lin Feng's other teammates were freed up.

Seeing this, Lin Feng wisely refrained from being reckless and relying on his personal strength to act rashly.

Instead, they seek to cooperate with their teammates to increase the difficulty of the opponent's defense.

Due to the relentless pressing by Zhou Haibin, Cui Peng, and others at the start of the second half, the opposing players' physical exertion increased sharply, causing them to reach their physical plateau prematurely.

Lin Feng's appearance at this moment was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Although they wanted to defend, they gradually couldn't keep up with Lin Feng and his teammates' fast-paced teamwork, and the Belgian team gradually fell into a passive position.

On the sidelines, seeing how well Lin Feng's entrance had an effect, Klaus Toppmöller didn't wait any longer and unleashed his ultimate move.

In the 68th minute, Zheng Zhi came on to replace Cui Peng, who was suffering from fatigue and cramps.

Cui Peng, the tireless fighter, truly burned himself out in this match, playing until his leg cramped up before leaving the field, and then collapsed on the bench from exhaustion.

The main purpose of bringing Zheng Zhi on was to support Lin Feng, increase China's ball control and passing options in midfield, and make it difficult for the opponent to stop China's attacks from midfield.

But this substitution was just a smokescreen; the real killer move was yet to come.

In the 72nd minute, the Chinese team continued their aggressive substitutions, bringing on an unexpected newcomer – Yu Hai!
"Yu Hai? Klaus Toppmöller's substitution is truly surprising!"

Not only were the fans confused by this substitution, but even the commentators were quite surprised.

Yu Hai had never represented the national Olympic team before, nor had he participated in the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

In fact, before Klaus Toppmöller recruited him into the national Olympic team, no one expected him to be selected.

"On the contrary, I think that Klaus Toppmöller's substitution was very smart. The opponent's physical condition has dropped, but they still want to continue to attack. This means that a lot of space will be exposed in the opponent's backfield. Yu Hai is a speed winger who is good at breaking through and has the nickname of Chinese Robben."

Bringing him on now, with the support of top midfielders like Lin Feng and Zheng Zhi, will give him plenty of attacking opportunities. If he can capitalize on just one of them, he could change the outcome of the game!

Zhang Lu had high hopes for Yu Hai, a player known for his speed, sharp breakthroughs, and impressive skills.

Such wingers are becoming increasingly popular in Europe. Besides Lin Feng, emerging superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are also wingers, which proves that the value of wingers is becoming more prominent in the modern football tactical system.

If Yu Hai can live up to his potential, he could truly live up to his title and become the Chinese Robben.

Unfortunately, Yu Hai was injured.

For wingers who rely on speed and dribbling skills, injuries are their biggest enemy.

Yu Hai suffered two major injuries before he was even 20 years old, which made many people who had initially been optimistic about him suddenly lose faith in him.

But the fact that Klaus Toppmöller recruited him into the national Olympic team proves that his form is not that bad.

Perhaps it will bring everyone a pleasant surprise! (End of this chapter)