Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The news that the national Olympic team had successfully advanced to the semi-finals spread like wildfire throughout the country in a very short time.

The popularity of this Olympics in China is astonishing. As it is the first time the Olympics have been held on home soil, the various events of this Olympics have ignited the Olympic passion of the entire nation.

Even for obscure projects that everyone has heard of, as long as the TV station broadcasts them live, people will be glued to their TVs watching with great interest.

If this is the case for unpopular sports, imagine how it is for a popular sport like football!

According to data from CCTV's backstage, the group stage match between the Chinese team and the Brazilian team attracted a large number of viewers, with CCTV's viewership rating exceeding 10%, second only to the 11.92% viewership rating achieved by the match between the Chinese women's volleyball team and the Cuban women's volleyball team on August 13.

Women's volleyball has a special advantage and is a traditionally strong sport in China. Many of the viewers who are particularly fond of women's volleyball are housewives who don't usually watch sports, so it's understandable that its ratings are far ahead of the competition.

But it's a bit outrageous that a sport like football, which is predominantly male-dominated, can attract so many fans.

The Olympic team's performance surpassed that of the recent match between the Chinese men's basketball team and the American men's basketball team, which only achieved a 7.69% viewership rating, a level far below that of football.

Originally, the popularity of Chinese football and basketball was supposed to reverse after 2005. With Yao Ming's rise in the NBA and the continued decline of Chinese football, more and more football fans would turn to basketball.

But Lin Feng's sudden emergence and the championship trophy that the Chinese team won at the World Youth Championships helped the Chinese team to take a big breath of fresh air.

The subsequent victories in the East Asian Cup, the East Asian Games, and last year's Asian Cup completely reversed the image of Chinese football.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people blindly criticize the national football team; instead, more and more people feel proud and honored by its achievements.

Therefore, even though basketball continues to develop rapidly, without the collapse of football, there has not been a phenomenon in history where a large number of football fans have switched to basketball.

The immense popularity of football has even led some basketball fans to switch from watching only basketball to watching both basketball and football.

……

After China's stunning victory over Brazil and advancement to the quarterfinals as group winners, the Chinese team quickly attracted the attention of other top teams.

They had not initially considered the Chinese team as a competitor for the championship, but now they have begun to consider the threat posed by this dark horse.

Therefore, many people from other teams came to the stadium for this match, such as Argentina, the Netherlands, and Italy, who are aiming to win the championship.

After learning that the Chinese team had defeated Cameroon with an absolute advantage of 4-0, these teams became even more wary of the Chinese team.

"Anyone who underestimates this Chinese team will pay the price!"

Italy's head coach, Carrašić, is very wary of China's strength. Having seen Lin Feng play in Serie A, he knows well the threat Lin Feng poses on the field.

This Italian Olympic team is of average strength, mainly composed of young players, with no big-name stars in the squad.

If we really encounter this Chinese team in a match, it's really hard to say who will win!
Besides the Italian team, the Dutch also sent representatives to the event.

Their assistant coach diligently recorded the game video and documented a wealth of tactical details and intelligence, including the individual abilities and technical characteristics of the Chinese players.

However, to the Dutchman's embarrassment, in the later match against Argentina, the Oranje fell to the Argentinians and failed to secure a place in the semi-finals.

After losing the game, all the work the Dutch had done became a waste of time.

They weren't the only ones who made a futile effort; the Italians also fell to Brazil, failing to reach the semi-finals.

In the final African civil war match, Nigeria easily defeated Ivory Coast 2-0, securing the last ticket to the semi-finals.

With this, the final four teams for the men's football competition at this Olympic Games have been determined.

The four teams are the host China, the South American powerhouses Brazil and Argentina, and the African Eagles Nigeria.

To everyone's surprise, all of Europe's traditional powerhouses fell in the quarterfinals, with none managing to reach the semifinals.

It seems likely that this year's champion will be either Argentina or Brazil!

Europeans are really unlucky. Italy was knocked out by Brazil, and the Netherlands by Argentina. Both of the favorites to win the World Cup were eliminated in the quarterfinals. This must be the worst result for European football at the Olympics.

European football excels in its league system, but its youth training system may not be as strong as South America's; otherwise, the top five leagues wouldn't be poaching so many South American stars.

South American football has a strong youth training system, but if it continues to be poached by European leagues, it will eventually destroy the foundation of South American football!

That's right. When young players leave their countries early to play in European leagues, they inevitably adopt a European playing style. Over time, South American players lose their unique characteristics.

[This trend is already emerging. Haven't you noticed that the top five leagues are becoming increasingly formulaic? The entire team is like a perfectly aligned machine, with each player playing according to a pre-programmed routine, lacking individual flair!]

Some have expressed concern about the future development of football, worrying that the previous balance of power between European and Latin American football will be broken as the top five leagues become increasingly dominant.

Moreover, it's not just Latin American football that will converge with European football styles; football styles in other regions will likely gradually move closer to European football as well. After all, most of their best players have gone to Europe to play, and they will inevitably be greatly influenced by European football.

……

After the final spot in the semifinals was decided, the Chinese national football team's opponent in the semifinals was also determined: the Eagles of Africa, Nigeria!
In the other half of the bracket, the two South American powerhouses will face off in a fierce battle!

It should be said that the Chinese national football team was very lucky, avoiding the strongest teams in the semi-finals, Brazil and Argentina.

Although Nigeria is a strong team, it is still slightly inferior to Brazil and Argentina.

Moreover, the national Olympic team is no stranger to this team.

In that year's World Youth Championship, the Chinese team's opponent in the final was the Nigerian team.

The process and result of that match are still unforgettable for the Chinese Olympic team.

That was arguably the highlight of their lives!

Having won against their opponent once, the Chinese Olympic team players have a slight psychological advantage.

When fans learned that the Chinese team's opponent was the Nigerian team, they spread the news with great joy.

[The Chinese team is incredibly lucky! Nigeria is the weakest of the remaining three teams, so drawing them really gives China a real chance to advance to the Bird's Nest!]

[Brothers, let's get those Bird's Nest tickets sorted! If we don't act now, it'll be too late once the Chinese team makes it to the finals!]

[Don't open the champagne at halftime. While Nigeria isn't as strong as Brazil or Argentina, China isn't guaranteed a win against them. If they fail to advance, your ticket will have been a waste!] [If you ask me, just buy a ticket for the next game and go to Shanghai to cheer for China. Witnessing them advance to the final would be great!]

I don't understand (in a Fenghua accent) why everyone is talking about the Nigerian team, as if they're doomed if they face the Chinese team.

Twelve years ago, when the Nigerian team embarked on their Olympic journey, this African eagle swept through the competition, defeating a host of strong opponents as a dark horse and lifting the championship trophy at the Atlanta Olympics.

The scene of vibrant life and flourishing things is still before our eyes.

Could it be that just twelve years from now, this Olympic arena will become the burial ground for the Nigerian team?

……

While fans and players were happy about their semi-final opponent, Klaus Toppmöller poured cold water on their hopes:
"This Nigerian team is quite strong. Although they don't have many big-name stars, the players are generally well-rounded, their tactics are reasonable, and they have players like Keita and Mikel anchoring the midfield. Overall, they are stronger than Cameroon, whom we just defeated. So everyone should not be complacent and should not think that drawing Nigeria means we can rest easy."

The Atlanta Olympics back then brought together so many big-name stars and top teams, who was Nigeria compared to them!
As a result, against all odds, they fought their way through the competition, defeating Brazil and Argentina in succession, and finally lifted the championship trophy.

The resilience and fighting spirit displayed by the Nigerian team at that Olympics left a deep impression on everyone.

Just because someone lost to you once, you underestimate them? They really don't know what death means!

Moreover, for the Nigerian team, being drawn against the Chinese team is perhaps their most desirable outcome.
The strongest teams in the semifinals are Argentina and Brazil. If given a choice, no one would want to face either of these two teams, including themselves.

If the two teams are not drawn together, the final might turn into an all-South American civil war.

Therefore, from Nigeria's perspective, they are very happy to have China as an opponent.

Upon hearing this, Gao Lin immediately felt displeased and shouted loudly:
"Damn, so they also thought we were easy targets!"

"We can't let these guys look down on us, guys. We have to play well in the next game and let the Nigerians know that they didn't lose unjustly in the last World Youth Championship!"

Although Gao Lin is usually unserious, he can be quite reliable at times.

For example, his shout just now immediately ignited the players' fighting spirit.

Seeing this, Lin Feng seized the opportunity and shouted as well:

"Yes, Gao Lin is right. Play well in the next game, beat Nigeria, and march into the Bird's Nest!"

"Crush Nigeria, march on the Bird's Nest!"

The moment the slogan was shouted, everyone's enthusiasm during training soared. They felt full of energy, and many were already imagining themselves stepping onto the Bird's Nest stadium.

……

After the match, the women's football team's head coach, Shang Ruihua, along with the team captain and several representative players, went to the locker room to congratulate the men's football team players.

The women's football team did not disband after finishing their Olympic journey, but instead came to the stands of the Workers' Stadium to cheer on the men's football team.

In basketball, there's more interaction between men's and women's teams, but less so in football.

The main reason is that the men's football team is not performing well and often misses the Olympic Games, which makes it difficult for the women's football team to have any interaction with the team.

It's a rare opportunity for everyone to participate in the Olympics, but the women's football team was eliminated in the quarterfinals early on, which is quite regrettable.

"Don't feel sorry for us. Keep up the good work and play well. As long as you keep moving forward, the banner of Chinese football has not fallen!"

The two captains of the women's football team, Xu Yuan and Han Duan, spoke with smiles.

It's a real pity for the women's football team this time. Their key player and top scorer, Ma Xiaoxu, injured her cruciate ligament in her knee during pre-match training, causing her to miss the rest of the season.

Her injury has a huge impact on the women's football team, because she is the Lin Feng of the women's football team.

The team's entire tactical system was built around her. Suddenly removing the absolute core player meant that all the previous tactics had to be scrapped and rebuilt.

It's already quite an achievement for the women's football team to advance as the top team in their group under these circumstances.

In the knockout stage, they encountered the Japanese team, who knew them very well, and were targeted by the Japanese team, which led to their defeat. It was also a matter of bad luck.

If Ma Xiaoxu had been present, the outcome of the match between the Chinese and Japanese teams might have been completely different.

However, a loss is a loss, and the women's football team did not try to make excuses or shirk responsibility for their defeat.

They were just a little regretful and worried about their companions' situation!

This is not the first time Ma Xiaoxu has injured her cruciate ligament. Repeated injuries to this dangerous area could very well end her career.

Even if the injury heals, the patient's condition may plummet.

It's truly heartbreaking that the women's football team finally produced a rising star, only to have her career decline so rapidly due to injury.

Ma Xiaoxu is only 20 years old this year, just as young as Lin Feng. It would be such a pity if such a talented person were to leave the football world like this.

"Sports medicine is not well-developed in China, so you can try going abroad. Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom all have experts in this field. If you trust me, I can introduce her to a few experts!"

Medical technology in Europe and America is very advanced, especially in niche fields like sports medicine.

For injuries involving ruptured knee ligaments, there are many top experts in the United States.

In basketball, the knees bear a heavy burden, and cruciate ligament rupture is relatively common, which means that they often encounter such patients in their daily work.

NBA stars are all wealthy, and in order to recover their health and return to the court as soon as possible, they will definitely do everything they can and spend a lot of money on treatment.

With so many patients to practice on and ample funding for them to conduct research and develop new diagnostic and treatment technologies, American experts in this field have achieved a precipitous lead over the world.

However, as far as Lin Feng knows, any star player who suffers this kind of injury will often experience a sharp decline in form even after recovering and returning to the game.

Even if Ma Xiaoxu returns to the competition in the future, she probably won't be able to perform as brilliantly as before. (End of Chapter)