Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Lin Feng patted Zhao Xuri on the shoulder and clenched his fist in a gesture of encouragement.

In some later teams, it was common practice to assign a player specifically to take these kinds of throw-ins in the attacking third.

What was originally a relatively harmless throw-in suddenly became a significant threat to the goal, posing a similar threat to a corner kick, after the team used their incredible arm strength to throw the ball into the penalty area.

In order to achieve a surprise effect, the Chinese team did not allow the players to cluster together in the penalty area. Apart from a few players wandering near the penalty area line, the other players were scattered around Lin Feng as if it were a normal throw-in.

Argentina was indeed misled. They didn't know that the Chinese team planned to throw the ball directly into the penalty area. Seeing Lin Feng preparing to receive the ball on the wing, they even arranged three players near him, intending to intercept him the moment he received the ball and then launch a counterattack on the spot.

Di Maria in the attacking third was ready to sprint forward, just waiting for his teammates in the backfield to win the ball and pass it to him, so he could once again showcase his signature wing attack skills to the world.

However, after Zhao Xuri threw the ball out, the Argentine players who were trying to press Lin Feng realized they had been tricked.

The football didn't land at Lin Feng's feet at all; instead, it flew over their heads and headed straight into the penalty area.

Gao Lin, positioned on the edge of the penalty area, was well-prepared and jumped ahead of the defenders, heading the ball to the far post.

Because the ball was in play on the right side, almost all the players from both sides were concentrated on that side, leaving the other side very open.

Zhou Haibin, who was originally on the edge of the penalty area, suddenly broke free of the player marking him and ran towards the far post the moment Zhao Xuri threw the ball in.

The Argentine players rushed to chase, but it was too late. Zhou Haibin had just taken his position when he received Gao Lin's pass, flicked the ball with his head, and the ball's direction changed, flying into the net under the watchful eyes of the entire stadium!
The score is now 1-0, China has scored the first goal!
The scene erupted in uproar. After the initial shock and disbelief, the Chinese fans quickly recovered, and waves of applause and cheers swept over them.

"We scored!"

"Well done, Zhou Haibin!"

"Haha, the Argentinians are stunned! They didn't expect that we would score the first goal!"

The fans were ecstatic. They had thought that China's offensive was about to end after failing to score in their previous attacks, and that it would soon be a period of low-pressing defense by China and high-pressure attacks from the opponent.

Unexpectedly, the Chinese team delivered such a huge surprise to them at the very end of this offensive.

Zhao Xuri's throw was truly a great achievement!

[666, Zhao Xuri is awesome! I'll never criticize you again!]

[Haha, let's just rename Zhao Yijiao to Zhao Yishou!]

[Zhao Xuri deserves a lot of credit for this goal, but let's not forget Gao Lin's pass, Zhou Haibin's shot, and the coordinated screens from Lin Feng and others. Without the team's overall cooperation, they probably wouldn't have been able to fool the Argentine team at all!]

Yes, football is a team sport. To win, you can't rely on the performance of just one star player; the whole team needs to work together!

Zhou Haibin was very excited after scoring the goal. Before the match, when he learned that he had been put in the starting lineup by the head coach, replacing Chen Tao, who had been a regular starter, Zhou Haibin was completely stunned.

He couldn't believe it was true, because Chen Tao's performance, both at the club and in the national team, was far superior to his.

However, that's exactly what Klaus Toppmöller did, which gave Zhou Haibin the urge to die for someone who understands him.

He was giving it his all in this game, wanting to prove with his actions that the coach's personnel adjustment was correct.

he made it!

"Well done, Haibin!"

"That header was really beautiful!"

"If we win this game, you'll be our number one hero!"

Surrounded by his teammates, Zhou Haibin felt enveloped in happiness. He even felt a little embarrassed because his teammates praised him so much.

"We can't let our guard down. The game is far from over. The Argentinians will definitely launch a fierce counterattack. We must be on high alert!"

"Haibin is right. The next period will be our biggest test. We need to be prepared for a storm!"

Lin Feng also stepped forward at the right time to continue to warn the team members.

That goal was largely accidental. In a typical positional attack, the Chinese team's offensive efforts would have been ineffective against the opponent.

Argentina's midfield and defense are not weak, with Garay and Demichelis being outstanding center-backs in terms of one-on-one defensive ability.

The Chinese national team's forwards couldn't gain any advantage against them.

Argentina's two full-backs are capable of both attacking and defending; they are not only watertight on the defensive end, but also very vocal on the offensive end.

In addition, their two defensive midfielders, Gago and Mascherano, are also quite capable.

Especially Mascherano, his coverage and interception ability are enough to rank him among the top five defensive midfielders in today's football world.

Against a team with such a strong defense, it's incredibly difficult to break through their defense in a direct attack.

Therefore, Zhou Haibin's goal was invaluable to the Chinese team, and it was likely to be the only goal scored by the Chinese team in the first half or even the entire match!
Since scoring is so difficult, we can't let the opponent easily equalize the score.

After the celebration, everyone focused their energy and transformed the joy of scoring into motivation for defense.

If they can hold on for just one more minute, they will be one step closer to victory and the championship.

However, the Argentinians were clearly not going to give up so easily, seemingly angered by the Chinese team's 'sneak attack'.

After the game restarted, the Argentine team pressed forward aggressively, launching a relentless attack on the Chinese goal.

Messi, Di Maria, Aguero, and even Riquelme would occasionally make forward runs and unleash a long-range shot.

For the next ten minutes or so, the Chinese team's goal was under constant threat, with the opponent taking a shot every few minutes on average, making Wang Dalei the busiest person on the field.

"Come on!"

"Hold on! You must hold on!"

The fans in the stands were extremely anxious. In their eyes, the Chinese team was like a small boat on a vast ocean, in danger of capsizing at any moment under the opponent's fierce attack.

Despite the Chinese team's players giving their all, and even Lin Feng repeatedly retreating to defend their own penalty area, they still couldn't stop Argentina's offensive.

In the 25th minute, Argentina launched a counter-attack from midfield. Messi dribbled forward and, before being pulled down by a defender, successfully passed the ball to Aguero on the flank. Aguero, having learned from his previous mistake, didn't give the goalkeeper a chance to come out. Upon receiving Messi's pass, Aguero unleashed a powerful shot, but fortunately, Feng Xiaoting made a diving save to block it.

The ball hit so hard that Feng Xiaoting was seriously injured, and he lay on the grass for a long time, unable to stand up.

"Coach, should we make a substitution?"

The assistant coach reminded him, and Klaus Toppmöller shook his head with a serious expression:
"Let's wait and see. If Feng can't keep going, we'll substitute him. Let the substitutes warm up first!"

On the field, the players all ran to their own penalty area to check on Feng Xiaoting's injury.

If the team's key center-back gets injured at this point in the first half, it would be a double blow for the Chinese team.

Fortunately, after examination by the team doctor, Feng Xiaoting did not suffer any injuries such as rib fractures. It was just that the force of the opponent's shot was too great, and it knocked him unconscious.

Argentine players, eager to attack, ran up to the referee to protest that the Chinese team was deliberately delaying the game.

The referee pointed to his watch, indicating that he would make up for the lost time during stoppage time, while urging the team doctor to carry the player off the field on a stretcher for treatment so as not to affect the normal progress of the game.

Although the team doctors were extremely reluctant, they had no choice but to help Feng Xiaoting out.

Since the Chinese team did not make any substitutions, after Feng Xiaoting left the field for treatment, the Chinese team only had 10 players on the field.

Argentina, of course, would not let such a good opportunity pass by. Taking advantage of their numerical superiority for a short period of time, they launched an even more ferocious attack on the Chinese team.

Boos erupted from the crowd, with many fans feeling that the Argentine team had taken advantage of the situation.

However, this is quite normal in football matches. If you insist on attacking when there is an injured player on the ground, then it would be a violation of sportsmanship.

But since the injured player has already been moved off the field, and it was your own fault for not making timely substitutions, it's understandable that they would exploit their numerical advantage.

After being carried off the field on a stretcher, Feng Xiaoting rested on the sidelines for a while and recovered a little. Seeing that his teammates were being suppressed badly due to their numerical disadvantage, he declined the team doctor's advice and couldn't wait to return to the field.

Upon returning to the field, Feng Xiaoting made a brilliant header to thwart an opponent's cross, earning enthusiastic applause from the audience.

"Well done, Feng Xiaoting!"

"Hang in there, Xiao Feng!"

"If you really can't keep going, just go and rest. We won't blame you if you lose!"

The fans at the scene applauded Feng Xiaoting while offering him friendly reminders.

Judging from his appearance, he hasn't fully recovered yet. Fighting while injured and feeling unwell must have been very difficult for him.
However, Feng Xiaoting responded with one excellent positioning, interception, and block after another. Despite his physical discomfort, he delivered an even better performance than usual.

This tough, gritty demeanor made those fans who had criticized him for his soft playing style and inability to handle tough situations blush with shame for their past words.

Feng Xiaoting wasn't the only one to perform exceptionally well; Li Weifeng, Sun Jihai, Sun Xiang, and others also defended the Chinese team's goal with their tenacious efforts.

In front of them, the Chinese team's midfielders, with their almost frantic running and pressing, acted as a solid barrier in front of the defensive line, contributing their strength to the team's defense.

Even so, the situation on the field gradually tilted in Argentina's favor.

In the 41st minute, Di Maria's breakthrough on the wing drew a foul from Sun Jihai, who received a yellow card as a result.

Before the first half was over, defensive players such as Zhao Xuri, Zheng Zhi, and Li Weifeng received yellow cards for fouls. Including Sun Jihai's yellow card, the Chinese team had already received four yellow cards.

The most critical issue is that all the players who received cards are defensive players in key positions, and they all have a yellow card on them, which is definitely not good news for the Chinese team.

Keep in mind that this is only the first half. Once the second half begins, with the opponent launching such a sustained and intense attack, it's hard to say how long the Chinese team's defense can hold out.

Fortunately, the Chinese team did not just stand there and take the hits. Taking advantage of the large gaps left by the opponent's large-scale attack, the Chinese team successfully launched several counterattacks.

Although they ultimately failed to score due to a lack of attacking players in the frontcourt.

However, these counterattacks, to varying degrees, deterred the other side from launching too reckless an attack.

Otherwise, the Chinese team probably wouldn't have been able to hold on until the end of the first half.

The referee was an honest man; after the first half of 45 minutes was over, he actually gave 3 minutes of stoppage time.

As soon as the stoppage time was announced, a chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.

In those days, injury time was generally shorter than it is now, which can easily last seven or eight minutes.

Given that the average added time for the entire match is only 3 minutes, the fact that the referee added 3 minutes of added time in the first half is indeed outrageous in the eyes of most fans.

Seeing the fourth official raise the stoppage time sign, the Chinese players on the field secretly groaned inwardly.

Three minutes may not seem like a long time, but it was an agonizing experience for the players on the field, especially after more than forty minutes of intense competition. The players were exhausted both physically and mentally and desperately needed rest and recovery.

The Argentinians clearly didn't want to waste those last three minutes. In the first minute of stoppage time, Mascherano bypassed Riquelme and passed the ball directly to Messi, who had dropped back to receive it.

Although Messi did not score in the first half, he completed seven dribbles, six of which were successful.

Most of the yellow cards received by the Chinese team were caused by Messi.

All of this is enough to prove his threat, which is why Little Ma chose to pass the ball to him.

After receiving the ball, Messi made a beautiful feint, shaking off Zhou Haibin who came forward to intercept, and charged straight forward along the gap on the left side.

The Chinese team certainly couldn't let him continue like that. Messi isn't the type of player who likes to cross from the byline. Once he dribbles the ball up the field, the probability of him cutting inside and shooting directly or breaking into the penalty area is very high.

Given Messi's ability to draw fouls, his long-range shots from outside the penalty area pose less of a threat, but if he were to actually break into the penalty area, the threat would be much greater.

Whether he scores a goal himself or draws a foul to win a penalty, it's an outcome the Chinese team cannot accept.

Upon seeing the opponent's movement, Lin Feng immediately accelerated from the side and rushed over, blocking Messi's path.

When they saw Lin Feng facing off against Messi, the fans at the stadium and those watching on TV were immediately excited.

This is the first direct confrontation between two superstars at the Olympics, and fans all over the world are eager to know the outcome! (End of Chapter)