Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The two became friends after a fight, their long-standing feud mainly taking place on the field.

Because neither of them is the type to be outspoken or aggressive, they have basically never attacked each other off the court.

Even if reporters went to interview Lin Feng and Messi, Lin Feng would only tell the truth and praise Messi's superb skills.

When faced with questions about Lin Feng, Messi usually doesn't give a direct answer. If he's really forced into it, he'll politely praise Lin Feng's sportsmanship and team achievements.

Although Messi was unhappy that Lin Feng had taken so many honors from him, he actually respected Lin Feng because Lin Feng earned those honors through hard work.

It could even be said that it was under Lin Feng's stimulation that Messi became so hardworking and determined, ushering in his peak period a year earlier than in the original timeline.

However, Messi had not yet reached his peak at this time. With his excellent physical qualities and understanding of him, Lin Feng was able to barely defend against him a few times.

However, if Messi continues to challenge Lin Feng to a one-on-one duel, the probability of Lin Feng successfully stopping him is no more than 50%.

These small players with agile footwork are very difficult for tall players like Lin Feng to defend, since he is not an extremely agile small defensive midfielder like Kanté.

Therefore, Lin Feng would seize any opportunity to engage in physical confrontation, using his own advantages to offset Messi's strengths.

Messi and his teammates were unaware that Lin Feng had used up all his trump cards. Seeing Messi repeatedly fail in front of Lin Feng, the Argentine team immediately adjusted their strategy and reduced the number of passes to Messi.

In the 53rd minute, Riquelme began to utilize the width of the field, transferring the ball extensively to the left side.

Di Maria sprinted forward, feinted past the defender, and passed the ball across to the middle.

The sharp-nosed Aguero had already lurked in the penalty area, but just as he rushed up to shoot, China's goalkeeper Wang Dalei bravely made a save.

Just before Aguero could touch the ball, the goalkeeper caught it first.

Wang Dalei's save was crucial; had he hesitated for even half a second, Aguero's shot would most likely have been a goal.

Wang Dalei's attack also came at a price. Aguero, who had already made a sliding tackle, couldn't stop and collided with the goalkeeper, with the sole of his shoe hitting Wang Dalei's ribs directly.

The crowd erupted in commotion as fans looked anxiously toward their own penalty area, concerned about Wang Dalei's injury.

After the incident, the Chinese team players rushed towards the penalty area, and the referee immediately stopped the game and quickly arrived at the penalty area.

"How are you, Da Lei? Where are you hurt?"

"Team doctor, where's the team doctor? Get him up here right now!"

The team members didn't know where Wang Dalei was injured or how serious it was, so they didn't dare to touch him for fear of causing further injury.

The team doctor, carrying his medical kit, rushed into the penalty area at almost the speed of a 100-meter sprint.

After examining Wang Dalei, the team doctor signaled to the sidelines to make a substitution.

Wang Dalei suffered multiple rib fractures on his left side and was unable to continue the examination for the match.

"I'm fine, I can still kick!"

Wang Dalei had already woken up. After learning that the team doctor had given him a 'death sentence,' he gasped for breath and endured the excruciating pain while trying to prove that he was alright.

"Your injury is very serious. The broken ribs could easily shift and puncture the diaphragm during strenuous exercise, causing a severe pneumothorax. If there is any bleeding, resulting in a hemopneumothorax, it would be extremely dangerous and could even be life-threatening!"

The team doctor did not exaggerate the condition; he simply stated the serious consequences that could occur.

Seeing how serious the situation was, the teammates around them all tried to comfort them:

"Da Lei, just listen to the team doctor and go down for treatment!"

"Yes, Da Lei, this illness can't be delayed. If it worsens, it could affect your future career!"

"Leave the competition to us, you can focus on your treatment. We'll throw you a celebration banquet when you come back fully recovered!"

Lin Feng made the final decision, stopping Wang Dalei from saying anything more.

Wang Dalei was finally persuaded and, with the help of the team doctor and his teammates, was lifted onto a stretcher and left the field.

As he left the field, the fans stood up and applauded, expressing their long-standing gratitude and heartfelt blessings to the goalkeeper who had made great contributions to the Chinese team.

On the sidelines, Klaus Toppmöller immediately had the substitute goalkeeper warm up after Wang Dalei was injured.

However, in his plans, he almost never considered the possibility of the starting goalkeeper being injured and forced to leave the game.

This forced them to choose one of their two substitute goalkeepers to start. Klaus Toppmöller hesitated for a long time between Liu Zhenli and Zeng Cheng before finally making an unexpected choice:

"Zeng Cheng, go up and replace Da Lei!"

These words immediately caused a stir among the surrounding crowd. The substitute players and members of the coaching staff all stared at the German old man in disbelief.

On such an important occasion, why choose to use a newcomer like Zeng Cheng instead of a veteran like Liu Zhenli who has already proven himself in the Chinese Super League?

Has the coach lost his mind?

The fact that Klaus Toppmöller made this choice proves that he was very clear-headed.

Although Zeng Cheng is almost two years younger than Liu Zhenli and has less competition experience, he is still a very young man.

However, Zeng Cheng's performance in intra-team training matches is more consistent. His ceiling may not be as high as Wang Dalei's, but his floor is very high.

Considering the immense pressure the Chinese team will face defensively in this match, Klaus Toppmöller naturally prefers a goalkeeper who is consistent and doesn't make many mistakes.

Moreover, Zeng Cheng has excellent height and wingspan, and his landing speed is also quite fast.

It is capable enough to handle both long-range shots and poaching opportunities in the penalty area.

Even if the match goes to penalties, his stable mentality might give the Chinese team an advantage in the penalty shootout.

Zeng Cheng's expression remained calm and composed when his name was called, showing no significant change.

It was as if he was about to play not in the Olympic final, but in a regular intra-team training match.

The Argentine team was unaware of Zeng Cheng's abilities, but the Chinese team had never changed their goalkeeper in the previous five matches, and Wang Dalei's performance in this match was also remarkable.

So when they saw Wang Dalei injured and forced to leave the field, and the Chinese team had to use a substitute goalkeeper, they all high-fived and celebrated on the bench, as if they could already see the wonderful scene of Argentina equalizing or even taking the lead.

"Seize the time to attack, don't give the opponent time to adapt to the rhythm of the game!" The Argentine coach simply ran to the sidelines and shouted at the players on the field.

Given the rare opportunity, the Argentine players naturally didn't want to let go of this chance to strike while the opponent was down.

As soon as Zeng Cheng entered the field, the Chinese team's goal was immediately besieged by the opponents.

I'm a little afraid to watch!

"Sigh, the Chinese team's luck is just unbelievable. Their starting goalkeeper got injured in such an important match! Sigh!"

[Zeng Cheng, hang in there! You can do it!]

Fans both online and offline sighed in disappointment; Wang Dalei's injury cast a shadow over the Chinese team.

The three substitutions in the final are all extremely valuable. The Chinese team's stamina was already running out, so it was time to start replacing those players who were exhausted and unable to continue with substitutes to ensure the team's defensive strength.

However, the unexpected injury to Wang Dalei has completely disrupted their rhythm, and the already insufficient three substitution slots are now reduced to only two.

To prevent such unexpected situations from occurring again in subsequent matches, only one of these two substitution slots can be used at most; the other one should be reserved as a precaution.

But given the current situation on the Chinese team's field, one substitution is hardly enough.
However, it seems that the Chinese team doesn't need to worry about these issues. It's hard to say whether they can withstand Argentina's fierce offensive.

On the field, Argentina launched wave after wave of attacks, with Aguero, Di Maria, Messi, and others taking turns assaulting China's penalty area.

Messi, in particular, can even move like a butterfly dancing in the dense crowd in the penalty area, dodging interceptions time and time again with his agile footwork.

In the 61st minute, Messi dribbled past two players and broke into the penalty area, but his subsequent shot was saved by Zeng Cheng who went down to the ground.

Two minutes later, Aguero received a pass from his teammate, skillfully cut past Li Weifeng, and shot into the far corner.

Ah Kun was brimming with confidence for this shot; the instant he completed the shot, he had already raised his hands, ready to celebrate.

However, to everyone's disbelief, his shot was still blocked by Zeng Chengshen.

Although Zeng Cheng was so anxious to make the save that his cheek almost touched the grass as he slid for a while, injuring himself.

But his outstretched long hand miraculously blocked the ball on the goal line.

"Oh Shet!"

Aguero immediately swore and clutched his head in disbelief.

He couldn't understand how his shot, which he was absolutely certain of, could be saved by the goalkeeper.

Seeing his best friend's shot blocked, Messi, who was not far from Akun, glanced in surprise at the somewhat disheveled Chinese team's new goalkeeper.

Although he had never heard of the opponent's name before this match.

However, judging from the two high-quality saves made by the opponent after they came on, they seem to have underestimated the opponent's strength.

This guy doesn't look any worse than the starting goalkeeper who was substituted earlier, and might even be stronger, because his height and wingspan are more in line with the standards of a modern goalkeeper.

Thinking about this, Messi suddenly felt a little irritated.

Before the match began, the Argentine team, including him and his teammates, was very optimistic about the game and felt that their championship was a sure thing.

Messi was also looking forward to his first international championship trophy, but to everyone's surprise, the match would be so difficult.

Messi glanced at the time on the big screen. The game had reached the 64th minute, and the score was still 1-0, with Argentina still trailing.

If they can't change the score soon, their championship dream will have to wait until four years later.

Zeng Cheng is awesome!

This guy is really going all out!

[He got injured right after stepping onto the field. I ask you, who dares to say that Chinese players lack fighting spirit?]

When Zeng Cheng saved Aguero's shot, the fans outside the stadium went wild.

Comments praising him kept popping up everywhere. Viewers who didn't know much about this young player before got to know this tall and handsome young goalkeeper through this game.

Many female fans even started to worry about whether Zeng Cheng would be disfigured after watching his performance.

"Well done, brother!"

Feng Xiaoting excitedly stepped forward and high-fived Zeng Cheng. Earlier, when he saw the coach substitute him instead of Liu Zhenli, Feng Xiaoting had questioned the coach's choice.

But now, he is truly convinced.

Based on those two saves alone, this guy deserves the trust of his coach and teammates.
However, these setbacks in the attack did not change the situation, and the Argentine team continued to launch a fierce attack on the Chinese team's goal.

In the 65th minute, the Chinese team finally found a counter-attack opportunity.

Lin Feng once again intercepted Riquelme's pass. After evading the opponent's pressure, he did not choose to pass the ball, but instead dribbled the ball forward himself.

The reason why China's previous counterattack failed was that they were too hasty during the midfield transition.

Because his team lacked numerical superiority in the attacking third, if the players were too eager to pass the ball, Gao Lin, isolated and helpless under the double-team of the opposing defenders, would not be able to get the ball at all, and even if he did get the ball, he would not be able to complete a threatening shot.

The end result was that the Chinese team's counterattacks looked impressive, but in reality, they posed little threat.

This made the Argentine players even more unrestrained, daring to send all the defenders over half the field when attacking, and even the goalkeeper almost came to the center circle.

To change this situation, we must re-evaluate our offensive options.

If Lin Feng passes the ball out too early during a counterattack, the pressure will fall on his teammates on the front line. The opponent will naturally not waste their energy on him and other attacking players, making it much easier to defend against.

However, if he doesn't rush to pass the ball and continues to push forward, then the opponent should be careful, because Lin Feng doesn't necessarily have to pass to Gao Lin. Don't forget that Gao Lin himself has the ability to break through on his own!

As expected, seeing that Lin Feng did not pass the ball out but continued to dribble forward, the Argentine players immediately shifted their defensive focus from Gao Lin to Lin Feng himself.

Diego and Mascherano pounced on Lin Feng almost simultaneously, and even the two defenders who were marking Gao Lin had to keep an eye on their backs while marking him.

With Lin Feng's unpredictable passing ability, they might not even notice before the ball is delivered to the opposing striker's feet from an unexpected angle! (End of Chapter)