Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Seeing Liu Xiang successfully complete the preliminary round on TV, without being injured and having to withdraw from the competition as he had in the original timeline, Lin Feng felt a sense of relief, like that of an old father.

Keep charging forward, Liu Flying Man! Show your best and let the whole world remember your speed!

Uh, this seems a bit difficult.

The influence of the 110-meter hurdles in track and field events is still far less than that of the 100-meter sprint.

As luck would have it, this year's Olympics featured a figure who has defied all odds in the history of human sprinting—Usain Bolt!

His brilliance will overshadow all other athletes in track and field.

But it doesn't matter, at least in the hearts of Chinese audiences, Liu Xiang's status is irreplaceable.

……

As time goes by and the closing ceremony of the Olympics draws closer, all the events have entered their final stages.

At 6:00 PM on August 19th, the highly anticipated men's football semi-final kicked off at the Shanghai Stadium.

The two teams facing off in this match are the host nation, China, and the African 'Super Eagles', Nigeria.

The stands at Shanghai Stadium were almost entirely filled with enthusiastic Chinese fans; the locals' enthusiasm for the game exceeded all expectations.

For local fans who want to watch the Olympic Games but don't have time to travel to places like Beijing to watch the games, the football matches held at the Shanghai Stadium are almost the only Olympic Games they can see live.

Therefore, even in the previous group stage and knockout stage, a large number of fans entered the stadium to watch the games, let alone the semi-finals in which the Chinese team participated.

The fact that 70,000 people came to the stadium doesn't mean that only 70,000 people wanted to watch the game; it simply means that the Shanghai Stadium's capacity is limited to 70,000 people.

Outside the stadium, a large number of fans who hadn't bought tickets but were unwilling to leave were gathered, their numbers too numerous to count.

"Bong Jerry, shall we... shall we start playing?"

In the sea of ​​red, the small group of more than 60 fans in green and white jerseys in the 20th stand looked rather jarring.

They were a cheerleading squad made up of Nigerian fans who had traveled a long way; there were only a few people, just over 60.

But these 60 people were clearly well-prepared. They not only brought banners and slogans, but also more than 20 musical instruments, intending to cheer for the team by playing music.

However, seeing the terrifying atmosphere of the home crowd, the Nigerian fans who had traveled from afar felt a little scared and didn't dare to play for a moment.

The leader, Bonjeri, was also a little scared. With so many people surrounding them from every angle, he was afraid that once they started playing and unfurled their banners and signs, these enthusiastic Chinese fans would tear them apart!
But since we've already come all this way and everything is ready, it would be too much of a shame to back down now.

Their players are fighting on the field, so how can these cheerleaders back down?
So, after taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage and said:

"let's start!"

After saying that, he rhythmically swung the drumstick in his hand, striking the drumhead heavily.

The other musicians in the band began to play instruments and sing, and the sounds from the more than twenty instruments immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding fans.

"These black guys are really something else, they even formed a band!"

"Wow, this drummer's got some skill!"

"I must say, it sounds quite charming!"

The Chinese fans around them initially did not harbor any hostility towards these people; they were simply curious about their behavior and even thought that the music they played was not bad.

Suddenly, someone noticed the banner unfurled by the Nigerian cheerleaders, and their expression changed drastically:

"Look at the banners they're holding up!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and after reading the slogan on the banner, their fists clenched.

A Nigerian fan wearing an animal skin hood unfurled a banner with three lines of Chinese characters:
We're not good at gymnastics.
We're not good at table tennis.

But we can do it with football!

The Chinese fans around were enraged upon seeing the banner.

The boos completely drowned out the sound of their band playing. A tall, burly man squeezed through the crowd, snatched the banner from the black man's hand, and gave him a free local specialty—a slap across the face!
The person who was hit saw stars and had a ringing in their ears.

The Nigerian fans around them initially wanted to fight, but seeing the angry Chinese fans surging in from all directions, they backed down.

Although the man who committed the assault was quickly taken away by security guards, the surrounding fans cheered for him and paid him their respects.

This made the Nigerian fans, who were under intense scrutiny, no longer dare to act recklessly. The slap from their leader made them realize the reality.

But these people were not convinced and felt that their players would definitely avenge the humiliation they had suffered on the field.

At the pre-match press conference, Nigerian coach Saja Yaya boldly declared, "We're here for the Olympic gold medal!"

Although no one considered Nigeria a favorite to win the championship before they made it to the semi-finals, at this moment, no one dares to underestimate them, and their coach's declaration further proclaims the ambition of this African Eagles.

The Nigerian team members are proving this through their actions.

They displayed a powerful attack from the start, with No. 9 Obinna and No. 11 Oklonkovo ​​frequently crossing the ball from both wings with their excellent speed and individual skills, creating threats in the Chinese team's penalty area right from the start of the match.

In the first 10 minutes, they had three threatening shots. From the game, the Chinese team was playing very passively and was almost being dominated by the opponent.

What is Klaus Toppmöller doing? Why did he move Lin Feng to the guard position?

[Exactly! Does he even know how to play football? Lin Feng is the most dangerous player for the Chinese team, posing the biggest threat to the opponent's goal. If you put him in the defensive midfield position, he'll be completely harmless, which is just letting the opponent attack.]

I think Klaus Toppmöller has gotten too cocky. A few wins and he's lost his mind. If he doesn't adjust quickly, the Chinese team is bound to lose to Nigeria!

Seeing the Chinese team playing so passively on the field, the fans outside the stadium were as anxious as ants on a hot plate.

The fans had a lot of opinions, especially regarding Lin Feng's position adjustment, and some even criticized Klaus Toppmöller harshly.

Klaus Toppmöller's expression on the sidelines was also very serious; this Nigerian team was truly formidable.

No wonder the opposing coach dared to make such a bold statement about competing for the championship; they might actually have the ability to do so.

Judging from the first ten minutes of the match alone, the Nigerian team not only had a strong midfield, but their forward line, especially on both flanks, was also incredibly powerful.

Their two wingers possess both speed and skill, constantly attacking the Chinese team's defense with their individual abilities, putting the Chinese team on the defensive flanks in a very passive position.

The passivity on the flanks quickly spread to the midfield, forcing the two defensive midfielders to take on extra defensive duties. Even Lin Feng's attention was diverted by defensive work, resulting in the Chinese team having almost no decent attacks in the first ten minutes.

This situation has never occurred before, not even when facing the Brazilian team, we have never been so passive.

So it's no wonder that fans are dissatisfied, because in everyone's basic understanding, the Brazilian team is much stronger than the Nigerian team.

Klaus Toppmöller closely monitored the situation on the field. Although fans were criticizing his adjustment, he could still see Lin Feng's effectiveness in the defensive midfield position. Thanks to Lin Feng's tackling ability and extensive coverage, opposing midfielders found it difficult to gain an advantage against him.

Despite Nigeria's impressive wing attacks, their crosses, lacking support in the middle, remained largely ineffective in converting into goals, failing to create any real threat.

But continuing to be passive like this is not a solution; we can't just take the beatings without fighting back.

Therefore, he had already come up with two solutions in mind.

Option one is to have Zheng Zhi drop back to the back line, and the Chinese team switch to a five-defender formation. This would create multiple defensive lines on the flanks, reducing the threat of the opponent's attacks down the flanks.

Option two involves having the wingers tuck in to disrupt the connection between the opponent's midfielders and wingers, creating a numerical advantage in the midfield to strangle the Nigerian midfielders.

Once possession of the ball is regained, the opponent's offensive threat will naturally be neutralized.

The first approach was too passive; Klaus Toppmöller preferred the second option.

Just as the Chinese team was making tactical adjustments, the Nigerian team managed to get another shot on goal.

Fortunately, Wang Dalei performed brilliantly and blocked the opponent's shot.

In the 18th minute, Nigeria won a corner kick.

Instead of using fancy corner kick tactics, the opposing team sent the ball directly into the penalty area.

The ball was cleared by Li Weifeng, but the cleared ball fell to the feet of the Nigerian defender who had made a run into the attacking third.

The defender's follow-up shot was once again blocked by the Chinese team's defenders, and the ball fell to Nigeria's number 13 player, Adefimi, who, in a moment of inspiration, quickly completed a low shot.

However, facing this seemingly inevitable shot, Wang Dalei swooped down like a god descending to earth and caught the ball just as it was about to cross the goal line.

Just as Adelmy was holding his head in astonishment, regretting missing such a golden opportunity to score, Wang Dalei, holding the football, quickly leaped up from the grass, swung his powerful arm with acceleration, and threw the ball forward with great force.

Wang Dalei had clearly practiced throwing the ball at the club, and his throw accurately found Chen Tao.

Chen Tao, with his back to goal, passed the ball back to Lin Feng, who was making a run from the backfield. Lin Feng immediately delivered a low through ball, which bypassed the Nigerian defender on the right and reached Dong Fangzhuo's feet.

"nice shot!"

"A 45-degree cross from Lin Feng, Dong Fangzhuo is one-on-one with the goalkeeper!"

Dong Fangzhuo did not waste Lin Feng's superb pass. He dribbled into the penalty area and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner past the goalkeeper.

The ball rolled past the goalkeeper, nestled along the inside of the goalpost, and into the net.

The score is now 1-0!

In the 19th minute of the first half, the Chinese team took the lead with a counter-attack initiated by the goalkeeper's throw-in.

The moment the goal was scored, a huge cheer erupted in the Shanghai Stadium, loud enough for even the fans gathered outside to hear.

Although they didn't know what was happening inside the stadium, such a huge cheer could only mean one thing—the Chinese team had scored a goal.

The fans outside then joined in the celebration, further amplifying the cheers in the stadium.

On the field, the Nigerian players stared in disbelief at their own goal, unable to believe that they, who had dominated the game, had conceded the first goal.

Just a minute ago, they were the ones besieging the Chinese team's goal.

How did the ball end up in my own net in the blink of an eye?

Upon seeing the Chinese team score, the fans who had previously been hurling insults immediately changed their attitude:

Lin Feng is awesome, Dong Fangzhuo is awesome, Team China is awesome!

[Klaus Toppmöller is capable; he truly deserves to be called a renowned coach from Germany!]

[Hey haters, weren't you guys spewing insults just now? Why are you all so quiet now?]

[Seriously? Are there still people questioning Coach Klaus Toppmöller's decisions?]

[World Youth Championship winner, Toulon Tournament runner-up, Olympic semi-finalist—is there any need to question Coach Klaus Toppmöller's abilities?]

Fans who supported Klaus Toppmöller began a ruthless purge.

Those who had previously made outrageous statements have all disappeared.

But this is only temporary. Once the Chinese team falls into a disadvantageous position, they will definitely jump out again.

Trolls are a species that can never be completely eliminated.

……

Dong Fangzhuo was very excited and celebrated his goal with a passionate knee slide.

After scoring this goal, his goal tally at this Olympics has unknowingly reached 4, second only to the team's core player Lin Feng's 6 goals on the top scorer list, tied for second place with Italy's Rossi!
The feeling of constantly scoring goals is just so exhilarating.

He was so happy that he didn't want to go back to the club and wanted to stay with the national team forever, to be with his teammates.

After all, at the club level, he was just an insignificant nobody. Not only was his playing time not guaranteed, but even when he did play, he was just a fringe player and didn't enjoy the same treatment as he did in the national team.

When his teammates pass the ball, they subconsciously ignore him. Even if they see his position, they don't trust him and instead pass the ball to Ronaldo, Rooney, and others.

Only in the national team does he have such a group of teammates who support him so strongly, including top midfielders like Lin Feng who frequently provide him with assists.

Such treatment is something you wouldn't even dare to dream of at a club.

"Well done, Xiao Dong!"

"That was a beautiful goal!"

"Your shot just now was so calm, it was the style of a top striker!"

"Including this goal, you've scored four, right? Such an outstanding performance must have impressed Sir Alex Ferguson, and your playing time at Manchester United will definitely increase next season!"

The congratulations and encouragement from his teammates warmed Dong Fangzhuo's heart.

Unlike Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo is a more introverted person.

He doesn't talk much in the team and isn't very close to anyone, which makes him seem a bit unsociable.

This made him worry about whether he would be ostracized.
But judging from his teammates' actions and reactions, his worries were unnecessary. (End of Chapter)