Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Unlike the Olympics, where most of the team members are young players, Lin Feng, as the captain and core player, has to step up and take on the main responsibility.

However, in the national team, there are many senior players. Although he is also a core player, he can play a little more conservatively and leave the stage for the senior players to perform.

After all, it's not easy for our seniors to come back. If we don't give them any chance at all, then we're just being rude.

Moreover, Zhao Junzhe and others are still young, at the age when they should be out there making their own way. They have plenty of fuel in their tanks, so it's only right that they should be given more responsibilities.

So in the match against Uzbekistan, Lin Feng took the initiative to play a supporting role, assisting the senior players.

The Uzbekistan team is no stranger to the Chinese national team; they were grouped with China in the group stage of last year's Asian Cup.

Uzbekistan plays a tough style of football, but is not known for its technical skills.

They are not good at ball control and prefer to launch counterattacks using speed and long passes.

Therefore, the Chinese national football team's strategy is to press high up the pitch, cut off the opponent's passing options during counter-attacks, and take advantage of their midfield to maintain possession of the ball, then create scoring opportunities through continuous attacks.

It looks somewhat like the style of play that Guardiola pioneered at Barcelona. Zhu Guanghu has indeed paid attention to Barcelona's new tactical system, but with the current lineup of the Chinese team, it is obviously far inferior to Barcelona's luxurious lineup.

Therefore, at most one can learn the form, but it is difficult to learn the essence of Barcelona's passing and control.

However, considering that the Chinese team's opponents are not as strong as those teams in La Liga and the Champions League, even if they only learn the basics, it will be enough to deal with these Asian opponents, after all, the Chinese team has the advantage in terms of lineup.

Although the opponent was not particularly strong, the match was still attracting a great deal of attention from the outside world, considering that this was China's first match in the World Cup qualifiers.

In fact, after the Asian Cup and the Olympics, a football fever has now swept across China.

The number of people watching and playing football is growing at an alarming rate.

Now, it's not just the top five European leagues; even the Chinese Super League, a popular domestic league, attracts a large following, and every issue of sports newspapers inevitably revolves around football.

If it also includes some news about Lin Feng, it will easily sell out.

This treatment is similar to, or even better than, the treatment Yao Ming received when he first entered the NBA in China.

Traditional media, especially print media, probably never expected that before the arrival of the mobile internet era, they, who should have been gradually declining, would become popular again thanks to the rise of Chinese football, and even reach new heights. The sales of many newspapers have reached their peak in the past year.

The match was scheduled to be held at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing. The original intention was to apply to play at the Bird's Nest, but the Bird's Nest was closed for maintenance after the Olympics. The application was not approved when negotiating with the AFC, so they had to settle for the Workers' Stadium, which is slightly smaller in scale.

This resulted in many fans being unable to buy tickets, and some fans who had traveled from other places could only wait for the result outside the Workers' Stadium.

However, for fans who have already bought tickets, the atmosphere at Workers' Stadium is actually better.

After all, this place has been the home stadium of Beijing Guoan for many years, making it one of the most sacred places in Chinese football.

Amid the cheers of tens of thousands of fans at the stadium, the Chinese team took the initiative from the start of the match, frequently launching threatening attacks against their opponents.

With the World Cup just one step away from the final round of qualifying, the teams are taking the competition much more seriously. Although they had defeated their opponents last year, they could clearly feel a completely different attitude towards the game when they met them in the final round.

For Uzbekistan to secure a direct qualification spot, they must fight hard in every match, as Group A includes three top Asian teams: China, Japan, and Australia.

If they lose to these three teams, it will not only affect their own points, but also give points to their opponents, thus further reducing their chances of advancing.

Therefore, the Uzbeks played very hard, aiming for a draw but striving for victory.

Even if they can't get all three points against the Chinese team, they should at least get one point. Given the strength of Group A, if they lose this game, their chances of advancing directly will be very slim.

Uzbekistan's tenacious resistance did cause some trouble for the Chinese team. Despite the Chinese players' hard work, their early attacks were unsuccessful and failed to threaten the opponent's goal.

However, as the Chinese team exerted their strength in the midfield, the Uzbekistan team, which had lost control of the game, gradually fell into a disadvantageous situation of being attacked unilaterally.

In the 35th minute of the first half, Lin Feng's breakthrough on the left flank of the attacking third earned China a free kick.

As the team's top free-kick specialist, Lin Feng should have taken this kick himself.

But as he was setting up the ball, he noticed Shao Jiayi, who was eager to try.

So I tentatively asked, "Brother Shao, would you like to take this shot?"

Shao Jiayi waved his hand: "You come on, you're the team's number one free-kick taker!"

Seeing that although the other party had refused, their expression clearly showed some interest, Lin Feng changed his approach:
"I'm not playing well today, so I'll leave this ball to you!"

Without waiting for the other party's agreement, he automatically stepped aside and made room for them.

"Sigh, you..."

Shao Jiayi could easily see through Lin Feng's intentions, which made him feel very embarrassed. However, he didn't want to disappoint Lin Feng's kindness, so he could only step forward with gratitude, rearrange the soccer ball, and then get into position to take the penalty kick.

The Uzbekistan goalkeeper visibly relaxed when he saw another player take the penalty instead of Lin Feng.

Lin Feng is currently recognized as a free-kick master in the football world. His free kicks pose a huge threat even to the top goalkeepers in the top five leagues, let alone goalkeepers in Asia.

Their level is far below that of goalkeepers in the top five leagues, so they inevitably felt nervous when facing Lin Feng taking free kicks.

But it's different when facing Shao Jiayi. Although I've heard that his free kicks are also very good, how good can they be?

However, Shao Jiayi quickly proved him wrong with his superb free-kick skills!
Although Shao Jiayi's free kicks weren't as outrageous in speed and power as Lin Feng's, the angle was extremely tricky.

The ball struck the inside of the crossbar and bounced into the net. The Uzbekistan goalkeeper had absolutely no chance to save it and could only watch helplessly as his own goal was breached. The score became 1-0. Shao Jiayi, who scored the goal, made a neighborhood-level celebration, but it earned him enthusiastic applause and cheers from the fans in the stadium.

As a native of Beijing and someone who came from Beijing Guoan, Shao Jiayi holds a very high place in the hearts of BJ fans.

The moment he returned to the Workers' Stadium, he became the focus of everyone's attention. Moreover, he scored a goal in such an important match. He was practically the king of the stadium, and even Lin Feng had to take a backseat for the time being!

The enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience deeply moved Shao Jiayi, who then kissed the lawn, earning him even louder applause.

"Old Shao is still quite popular. Even though he left the team five or six years ago, so many people still remember him and think highly of him!"

Zheng Zhi put his hand on Lin Feng's shoulder and watched Shao Jiayi kiss the grass, saying with a hint of envy.

Lin Feng has never played in the domestic league, so he doesn't enjoy this kind of treatment, but Zheng Zhi is a player who came from the domestic league, so he should enjoy this kind of treatment in his home team, right?

"It's hard to tell!"

Zhao Junzhe bluntly said, "This guy changes teams every few days. He started with Liaoning FC, then went to Shenzhen FC, and after achieving results with Shenzhen FC, he was poached by Shandong Luneng. He didn't stay with Luneng for more than a few years before going to the English Premier League. I think a player like him who doesn't stick with one team will probably get boos from the fans instead of cheers and applause."

Zhao Junzhe was very dedicated. He started his career with Liaoning FC and retired with Liaoning FC, spending his entire life with one team.

Such a player would be a legend even abroad, but because of the chaotic atmosphere in Chinese football in the early years, his perseverance not only failed to gain respect, but was also ridiculed by many.

However, as the atmosphere of domestic football has improved, Zhao Junzhe's reputation has also been rising. Unfortunately, Liaoning FC's strength is still a bit lacking. In the current Chinese Super League, which is becoming increasingly competitive, it is difficult for him to achieve any good results with Liaoning FC. This season, Liaoning FC's points have even slipped into the relegation zone, and it is questionable whether they can even avoid relegation.

This has led to much speculation about his future. If Liaoning FC is relegated, will he stay with the team?
Or will he take this opportunity to study abroad?

However, Zhao Junzhe is about to turn thirty and has already missed the best opportunity to study abroad. If he had started his overseas career earlier like Sun Jihai, Shao Jiayi and others, his current situation might be completely different.

Zheng Zhi was quite unconvinced by Zhao Junzhe's criticism: "What do you mean I change teams every few days? Isn't it because of the pressure of reality? If I could stay with one team for a long time, I wouldn't bother changing teams all the time!"

There were some things he didn't say, after all, what had Zhao Junzhe gained from his years of dedication to Liaoning FC?
Although he frequently changed teams, he won many championships!
……

Shao Jiayi's goal was the only goal of the first half between the two teams. Before the opponent's stamina dropped, the Chinese team's ground attack still struggled to create any threat.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the players haven't played together for too long, and their teamwork and understanding are not good enough.

In the second half, Uzbekistan intensified their attack in an attempt to reverse their defeat.

A score of 0 is unacceptable for them, because according to the schedule, their next opponent is the Australian team.

If we don't fight hard in this game, and then lose to Australia in the next one, they can just be carried off the field, and it feels like we don't need to play the next six games.

The Uzbekistan team's willingness to attack away from home is commendable and deserves encouragement.

Whether this approach is wise is another matter.

In any case, after they took the initiative to attack, the Chinese team gained more offensive space and, relying on their excellent individual abilities, launched highly threatening and efficient counterattacks.

In the 72nd minute, the Chinese team intercepted the ball in their own half and launched a quick counter-attack. Lin Feng played a through ball to Li Jinyu, who had just come on as a substitute.

Faced with such a perfect assist, the top scorer in the Chinese Super League did not waste the opportunity and easily pushed the ball into the net, helping the Chinese team to score another goal.

The score became 2-0, and the Chinese team secured the victory with 20 minutes left in the game.

After scoring, Li Jinyu performed a bow and arrow celebration, similar to Zhao Junzhe and others, as he had not been called up to the national team for a long time.

The young players on the team are just too fierce; Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo, and others are almost taking away the positions of the veterans.

Only Han Peng, with his exceptional heading ability, still holds a place among the national team's forwards. Players like Li Yi, Xie Hui, and himself have long been marginalized by the national team.

Judging from the experiences of these veterans, the generational shift in the Chinese national football team in recent years has been extremely rapid.

The team's roster has a limited number of players, and even if they ultimately qualify for the World Cup, it's impossible for Coach Zhu to bring every single one of them.

Therefore, the only way to compensate is to give them more playing time during the World Cup qualifiers. This is exactly the same approach Milutinovic used Xie Hui during the World Cup qualifiers but didn't include him in the World Cup squad.

But it's a bit puzzling that he didn't even bring Li Ming with him.

China's second goal seemed to shatter the opponent's morale. Coupled with the opponent's decline in stamina after 70 minutes, their defensive quality also dropped sharply, allowing China to gradually create more attacking opportunities.

In the 82nd minute, China scored again. The goal was scored by Han Peng, the aerial powerhouse of the Chinese national team. He received a cross from another veteran, Sun Jihai, and overpowered the opposing defender to head the ball into the goal, helping China extend their lead to 3-0.

The Workers' Stadium had transformed into a sea of ​​fan celebration, with fans wildly celebrating goals and victories.

Since the Chinese national football team won the East Asian Cup in 2005, they have won more matches than they have lost in international competitions, which has led to a surge in the trust of fans in the team.

In the past, people didn't want to go to the stadium to watch games because they were afraid of spending money and suffering. But now, as the national football team's performance continues to improve, the worry about spending money and suffering has gradually disappeared, and going to the stadium to watch games has gradually become an enjoyment.

Just like this match, everyone predicted that the Chinese team would win before the game, but they still couldn't help but want to come to the scene to witness it with their own eyes.

The Chinese team did not disappoint, with the players securing a decisive 3-0 victory, giving fans a thrilling and exhilarating win.

After the match, fans began discussing the World Cup.

At the post-match press conference, when asked about the World Cup by reporters, China's head coach Zhu Guanghu did not shy away from the topic:

"The matches need to be played one at a time, everyone should be patient. Haste makes waste. However, I am full of confidence that the Chinese team will advance to the South Africa World Cup." (End of Chapter)