Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Although he had gotten past Messi, the crisis was not over; Lin Feng still faced at least three obstacles.

Without room to sprint and unable to increase speed, it's unrealistic for Lin Feng to break through so many of the opponent's defenses on his own.

Even if the King of Football were alive, he probably couldn't do it, because when you really can't stop someone, the defending player still has the option of fouling.

So after shaking off Messi's interception, Lin Feng did not continue to dribble, but instead moved to the left wing.

In the second half, Yu Hai, who came on as a substitute, rushed out like an arrow and received a pass from Lin Feng on the left wing.

At this point, the value of Klaus Toppmöller's decision to bring him on in the second half became apparent. Compared to the opponent's exhausted defenders, Yu Hai, who had only been on the field for a short time, was full of energy.

So he didn't choose to use any fancy moves at all, and directly used his strength and speed advantage to completely overwhelm his opponent.

"Yu Hai! He's sprinting, and their right-back Zabaleta is charging towards him!"

"The two engaged in a speed contest!"

"Great! Yu Hai has gotten past Zabaleta, he's almost one-on-one with the goalkeeper!"

Inside the studio, the commentator's tone suddenly rose an octave.

However, the fans watching the live broadcast seemed oblivious, their eyes glued to Yu Hai, who was speeding and sprinting across the television screen.

There was only one voice in my mind: Faster, faster!
At this moment, within a few meters of Yu Hai, only the opposing center-back Garay was still hot on his heels.

The two were not far apart, but Garay had played most of the game and was already exhausted. Although he tried his best, he could not narrow the gap between them. Instead, the gap continued to widen.

However, just as the fans were hoping that Yu Hai could shake off Garay and score a one-on-one goal, Garay, who could not catch up with the opponent, shoved him hard from behind before Yu Hai broke into the penalty area, knocking him to the ground.

Gareth used considerable force in that push; Yu Hai slid forward several meters after falling to the ground before coming to a stop.

The crowd erupted in uproar, and the cheers from the stands abruptly ceased.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene. After a moment, shouts of condemnation, boos, and even curses rose and fell.

[Red card, this is definitely a red card!]

That's disgusting! It would be an absolute injustice if he wasn't ejected for such a foul!

Even if we send him off, it's still a loss for us. If he hadn't fouled, we would have been one-on-one with him. Now, at most, we'll get a free kick. Between a free kick and a high-probability goal opportunity, even a fool would choose the former!

After committing the foul, Garay knew he was doomed, so he walked towards the sidelines without waiting for the referee's decision.

Garay did not regret his foul. Although the cost was high, trading a red card for an opponent's goal was not a loss for the Argentine team, especially now that the game is nearing its end and the impact of the red card is not that significant.

On the contrary, if Argentina were to score another goal now, they would be truly finished!

So even if he had to choose again, he would still do the same thing.

Kassai had no reason to show mercy, so he pulled out a red card and chased after Garay, showing him the card as he left, thus expelling him from the game.

The decision was met with applause from the fans in the stadium, although a red card was not enough to make up for the loss suffered by the Chinese team.

But seeing the culprit of the foul sent off was a relief for the fans.

On the sidelines, the two head coaches reacted very differently to the result.

Klaus Toppmöller's initially expectant gaze turned somewhat disappointed after the opponent committed a foul.

At this point, having one player sent off won't have a significant impact on the Argentine team. At most, it will bring both teams back to the same number of players. The opposing team might not even make a substitution and could very well continue their all-out attack on the Chinese team.

The Argentine coach's expression shifted from initial fear to relief, and then to seriousness.

He felt that trading a red card for a high-probability goal opportunity wasn't too bad.

But what made him feel uneasy was that the location of the foul was just too critical.

For free kicks in such excellent positions in the attacking third, the threat is almost equivalent to a penalty kick for those who are skilled at taking free kicks.

And coincidentally, the opposing team just happened to have such a top-notch free-kick master!
Seeing Lin Feng preparing to take the free kick, the Argentine coach's heart involuntarily jumped:
Could things really be that bad?
The name of a person is like the shadow of a tree; Lin Feng has scored too many goals with free kicks in the past few years.

As a result, other teams try to avoid giving his team free kicks in the attacking third when facing him.

Argentina actually did a good job in this aspect of the game, as they controlled the vast majority of aerial possession, and the battle was fought primarily in China's half.

The Chinese team barely got any free kicks in the attacking third, and even when they did, the positions were poor, preventing them from shooting directly at the goal.

So, since the start of the match, the Argentinians have not felt this threat.

At this moment, seeing Lin Feng carrying the ball to the penalty spot, they remembered the fear of being dominated by Lin Feng's free kicks!
"Go Lin Feng!"

"Goal from the free kick!"

"Give me a bouncy ball!"

When the fans in the stands saw Lin Feng appear at the penalty spot, many of them cheered excitedly.

These fans are all seasoned fans who have followed Lin Feng's league, Champions League and national team matches for several years, and they have full confidence in Lin Feng's free-kick ability.

Having mastered the free-kick skills of Mihajlovic, Beckham, Ballack, Juninho, and other free-kick masters, Lin Feng's free-kick prowess surpasses that of his predecessors, making him arguably the best free-kick player in the world today!
They had seen Lin Feng change the score with free kicks in dozens of previous matches, and seeing the location of this free kick today already excited and filled them with anticipation.

Argentina's goalkeeper Romero was already feeling the pressure and kept directing his teammates to adjust the formation of the defensive wall.

No matter how they arranged themselves, he still felt unsafe. The human wall formed by his teammates' bodies seemed leaky to him, giving him no sense of security, and he couldn't help but start having wild thoughts.

Because of his short stature, Messi did not participate in forming the wall, but stayed outside the penalty area, ready to launch a counterattack at any time.

But seeing his teammates' panicked state and the opponent's serious expression, he felt a strange sense of unease.

Previously in La Liga, Messi had personally witnessed the power of Lin Feng's free kicks at Camp Nou.

In that match, Lin Feng scored a hat-trick, one of which was a direct free kick.

With that in mind, Messi decided to go back and join the defense.

Although his height isn't tall enough to form a human wall, he can serve as a last resort on the goal line.

Because of his height, Lin Feng did not notice that Messi, who was completely blocked by the wall of players, was standing in the corner of the goal.

After glancing at the goalkeeper's position, he took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and waited for the referee's whistle.

The vast Bird's Nest stadium was completely silent at this moment, as if the fans were afraid of making the slightest noise and disturbing the players on the field.

Some people clenched their fists nervously, their palms sweating profusely.

Although they didn't have to play, they seemed to be even more nervous than the players on the field.

Beep!
The whistle blew, and Lin Feng began his running start.

The audience's eyes followed his every step until a muffled thud sent the ball flying off the grass. Only then did their gaze shift from the player to the ball flying over the head of the wall of players.

What a great speed!

Romero was taken aback as the football hurtled towards him.

I had long heard that Lin Feng's shots were powerful and heavy, making him a top-tier shotster, but after seeing it with my own eyes on the field, I realized that words could not adequately describe it.

The ball no longer felt like a football to him, but rather like a cannonball, filling him with instinctive fear and making him hesitant to catch it. However, Romero quickly overcame his fear, judged the ball's trajectory, and immediately made a diving save.

However, the ball was too fast, and Romero couldn't catch up even with all his might. He could only watch helplessly as the ball headed straight for the top right corner of the goal!

Although Messi, standing in the corner of the goal, jumped high with all his might, even Romero, who is 1.92 meters tall, could not reach the ball, let alone Messi, who is less than 1.7 meters tall and cannot use his hands to save it.
The soccer ball flew over his head and swished into the net.

In the 84th minute of the match, the score became 3-1, and the Chinese team extended their lead once again.

The Bird's Nest stadium erupted in cheers once again, with countless fans weeping with joy and embracing each other in wild celebration.

"Lin Feng is awesome!"

"China is awesome!"

"That free kick was so cool!"

"Ore ore ore, we are the champions!"

The fans, who had been suppressing their emotions for most of the game, finally let them all out at this moment.

With only a few minutes left in the game, the Chinese Olympic team, leading by two goals, has already secured their Olympic gold medal!
Only a few minutes remain before they step onto the podium!

Lin Feng was equally excited after scoring. He rushed to the sidelines, jumped high, crossed his arms, and completed his signature celebration.

I used to think this move was just cool, but today I feel so good and relieved after doing it!
"Siu!"

The fans, who were in complete chaos, surprisingly managed to produce a unified sound after Lin Feng made his signature celebration move.

It seems they've been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Upon landing, Lin Feng heard the sounds from the stands and smiled with satisfaction.

But before he could even stand up straight, he was tackled by his teammates who rushed up from all directions.

Lin Feng's teammates, including those on the bench, were even more excited than he was.

They roared like brown bears and pounced on Lin Feng.

On the coaching bench, the nearly seventy-year-old German coach was as happy as a child, waving his arms and legs and giving each member of the coaching staff a high-five in celebration, his face beaming with an incredibly radiant smile.
These young soldiers actually did it!

Even the head coach found this result unbelievable; it was nothing short of a miracle!
While the Chinese team was celebrating wildly, the atmosphere in the Argentine team next door was incredibly dejected.

Are we going to lose to this guy again?
Messi clenched his fists in frustration.

He was not satisfied with his performance in this game, even though he had a lot of shots and even more dribbles and breakthroughs.

But they didn't score!

As the team's top attacker, failing to score is the biggest sin.

It must be because I'm not strong enough to defeat you!

Watching Lin Feng's retreating figure, Messi made up his mind that he would practice his shooting skills and free kicks diligently when he got back.

Since the opponent could turn the tide with a free kick, he was sure he could too. He didn't think he was any worse than Lin Feng!

The Chinese team's celebration lasted for more than a minute, until even the referee couldn't stand it anymore and stopped them.

The fact that not a single player on the opposing team proactively raised this issue with the referee speaks volumes about the Argentine players' mindset at that moment.

Many of them are probably no longer focused on the game, but rather on how to divide the blame after losing, or even how to shirk responsibility.

But two people haven't given up yet: Messi and Riquelme.

Both of them regarded Lin Feng as their rival, and seeing how well he performed, they were both very unwilling to accept defeat!

In the 88th minute, Riquelme delivered a brilliant pass to Messi, but Messi's shot went wide.

In the 90th minute, Riquelme delivered another lobbed pass, and Aguero successfully broke the offside trap, creating a one-on-one opportunity.

Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, Aguero did not choose to control the ball and shoot, but selflessly passed it across to Messi who was following up.

Messi slotted the ball into the net.

The score became 3-2, and the gap between the two teams narrowed to one goal again!
The fans in the stadium were on tenterhooks again. This damn game is always so suffocating!

Messi, who scored the goal, had no intention of celebrating. He rushed into the goal, grabbed the ball, and ran back.

At this point, the fourth official displayed a sign on the sidelines indicating that there would be 4 minutes of stoppage time in this match.

Seeing the length of the added time made the fans even more nervous.

Four minutes is too long, isn't it?

"Quickly, get Cui Peng ready to go on stage!"

Zhao Xuri was out of energy and could no longer make effective interceptions. In addition, using the last substitution would buy some time and give the players on the field a breather.

Cui Peng had clearly received instructions from the coach, and shortly after coming on, he fouled Riquelme near the center circle.

After committing the foul, he pretended not to notice and kicked away the opponent's ball, preventing them from taking a quick free kick.

An Argentine player got angry and rushed over to shove Cui Peng.

Cui Peng couldn't stand this insult. He immediately shoved the other person back!
Both teams rushed forward, ready to start a fight.

The referee immediately stopped the game, separated the players who had clashed, and issued a yellow card to each of them as a warning.

Cui Peng didn't care. He had just come up, so getting a yellow card wouldn't matter, as long as it could buy him time!

After all that commotion, it took Argentina a long time to start taking the free kick again.

Because the foul occurred far from the goal, even if Lin Feng were there, he wouldn't shoot directly at the goal.

Riquelme decided to lob the ball into the penalty area, letting his teammates try to head it in and see if they could find an opportunity.

However, Argentina was unlucky, as Lin Feng seized the first landing spot and disrupted it.

Lin Feng headed the ball out of bounds, and possession remained with Argentina.

At this point, three minutes of stoppage time had passed, and time was running out for the Argentine team.

At this point, the Chinese team had stopped thinking about defensive strategies. A bunch of players just stood around the opposing players, and whenever the opponent kicked the ball out, they would clear it out of bounds.

As a result, the Argentine team had to throw the ball in several times, and finally had to pass it to a teammate in the backfield to prevent it from being cleared out of bounds by the Chinese team.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the referee had already started checking his watch.

Messi led Argentina's final attack through the middle, but seeing that his teammates were not in good positions, he had no choice but to charge in himself.

However, the penalty area was packed with defenders. Although Messi skillfully maneuvered past one defender after another, he was still just a human, not a god.

As Messi was getting past the third defender, he was tripped, the ball slipped from his control, and was cleared by Feng Xiaoting with a long kick.

At that moment, the referee blew the final whistle to end the match.

Finally, after 90 minutes of grueling play, the Chinese team, witnessed by 9 fans at the Bird's Nest Stadium, defeated the defending champion Argentina 3-2, winning China's first-ever Olympic gold medal in football history! (End of Chapter)