Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

The substitutions made by the Chinese team seemed to remind the Japanese team's head coach, Takeshi Okada, that he still had three substitutions left to use.

So after the Chinese team made their substitutions, he used two substitutions to replace Daisuke Matsui and Yoshito Okubo with Shunsuke Nakamura and Keiji Tamada.

After these two new players came on, they created some chemistry with Keisuke Honda and other forwards.

In the 69th minute, Keiji Tamada received a pass from his teammate on the left side of the penalty area, made a slight adjustment, and then unleashed a high-quality shot with his right foot.

The ball struck the far post, marking Japan's closest approach to scoring so far in the match.

Three minutes later, Japan launched another attack. Yuichi Komano made a low cross from the right wing, and Keisuke Honda was in position to meet it at the far post. However, substitute Zhang Linpeng accurately predicted the route of the pass and made a sliding tackle in advance, clearing the ball out of bounds.

"Well done, Xiao Peng!"

Deputy Captain Li Weifeng reached out and helped Zhang Linpeng up, then patted her head and praised her.

At the same time, I was impressed by how fierce these young men on the team were!

Wang Dalei, who has kept Yang Zhi firmly on the bench, and Zhang Linpeng, who can almost replace Sun Jian, are also on the front line. There is also a striker with top-notch shooting skills and unpredictable positioning.

Previously, there were concerns that the national football team would lack successors once these veterans retired.

Now it seems there's not much to worry about.

Li Weifeng is already 32 years old this year. At his age, he definitely won't be able to play in the next World Cup. He might have already retired by then.

However, he has no ambition for the next World Cup. As a Chinese player, being able to participate in two World Cups with the team has already surpassed a lot of his predecessors!

Not to mention, he also helped the team reach the quarterfinals, an achievement that no one had ever accomplished before.

Li Weifeng was content with this and no longer asked for anything more.

All he wants now is for the national football team to improve under the leadership of these young players after he leaves.

Let's not repeat their mistakes!

"Thank you, Captain!"

Zhang Linpeng was a little embarrassed, even though it was his first time representing the national team in such a high-level international competition.

But for some reason, he wasn't nervous at all.

Perhaps it's because he's been honed in high-level matches at the club level, or perhaps it's because he's just a newcomer in the national team with relatively little responsibility, plus the presence of a strong leader in the team, which allows these newcomers to have no worries and confidently showcase their talents!
Perhaps saving their energy for the next match, the Chinese team clearly began to slow down after taking a large lead.

The Japanese team was trying to attack, and Keisuke Honda even got a leg cramp from playing so hard.

But they couldn't break through the Chinese national team's defense at all, and almost let the Chinese team seize the opportunity to extend their lead again.

In the 85th minute, Zhu Guanghu used his last substitution.

Han Peng was replaced by Wu Lei.

Fans were quite surprised to see Wu Lei on the field.

Could this guy be the head coach's illegitimate son?

[Old Zhu is too lenient! How can he give a striker who missed a one-on-one opportunity a chance?]

Wu Lei's missed one-on-one opportunity was truly an eyesore, drawing criticism from many fans.

But not everyone disliked him; some people supported him.
Wu Lei is still young and has a lot of room for growth in the future. There's no need to be so harsh on him!

Missing a one-on-one chance is not uncommon; even world-class strikers have made such mistakes. We can't condemn someone based on just one error!

Wu Lei is already the most talented player born in the 90s. If we don't give him opportunities, the national team will have no one left to use in the future!

Amidst tremendous controversy, Wu Lei took to the field.

To be fair, Wu Lei's goal-scoring instinct and off-the-ball movement are indeed very strong.

He seized an opportunity as soon as he came on the field.

After seeing Wu Lei's run, Lin Feng immediately played a through ball to him, passing it from the left side of the backfield behind the Japanese defense.

The ball arrived at Wu Lei's feet as soon as he got into position!

nice shot!

Wu Lei secretly praised himself, thinking that this pass was even more comfortable than the passes from his teammates at the club.

Lin Ge truly deserves to be called the world's best midfielder; his passing skills are truly admirable!

The moment Wu Lei received the ball, he found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

This scene made Chinese fans at the stadium and those watching on TV tense, as if they were seeing the scene from the previous match against Italy.

Is this kid going to miss another one-on-one opportunity?
Wu Lei didn't stumble over the same stone twice!
After receiving the ball, he accelerated into the penalty area. Facing Kawashima Eiji's attack, Wu Lei calmly evaded the goalkeeper to the left before shooting.

This time, there was no suspense whatsoever; the ball bounced smoothly into the net.

The score became 6-0, and Wu Lei helped the Chinese team score another goal, while also completing his own redemption!
Well done, Wu Lei!

Wow, Wu Lei is amazing!

[That positioning, that through ball, that shot—absolutely brilliant!]

[In three matches, with less than 50 minutes of playing time, he scored two goals. Wu Lei's goal-scoring efficiency is simply amazing!]

[Who were you who questioned Wu Lei's abilities? Step forward!]

[Alright, stop getting worked up. We're all fans of the Chinese national football team, there's no need for infighting!]

[The Japanese team is really suffering; they got thrashed 6-0 again!]

[Haha, a bosom friend afar brings a 6-0 victory!]

[Unfortunately, they were one goal short, failing to break Portugal's record against North Korea!]

The fans' words were like magic; no sooner had they said that than the Chinese team was awarded a free kick in the attacking third.

Lin Feng took the shot himself, and with a beautiful arc, the ball bypassed the goalkeeper and fell into the net.

The score became 7-0, and Lin Feng became the first player in Chinese football history to complete a hat-trick in the World Cup, as well as the second player to complete a hat-trick since the start of this World Cup!

Gao Lin's long-cherished achievement was snatched away by Lin Feng without his knowledge.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the Japanese players on the field didn't want to stay a moment longer and all fled the field as quickly as possible.

For them, this was not a competition arena at all, but an execution ground that left them with painful memories.

If possible, they probably will never come to South Africa again in their lifetime!

"Why are these guys running so fast? I was thinking of exchanging jerseys with them!" Gao Lin said somewhat dejectedly, watching the Japanese players flee in disarray.

A teammate asked curiously, "Why did you exchange jerseys with them? We don't have a good relationship with the Japanese team, do we?"

Exchanging jerseys usually happens between teams and players who have a good relationship. The Chinese team and the Japanese team have a lot of historical grudges, and the players from the two countries don't have much interaction in private, so there is no basis for exchanging jerseys.

"Hehe, I was just thinking of getting a jersey to take back as a souvenir. It's such a memorable match, I should at least keep some kind of evidence!"

Everyone was speechless. You're going to get beaten up for doing that!
……

Watching Lin Feng and his teammates celebrate their advancement, Messi silently turned off the TV.

Three assists and three goals – these are the statistics Lin Feng delivered in this match.

The Japanese team seems to be stronger than the South Korean team they faced before, and Messi's performance in that match was far less impressive than Lin Feng's.

This made Messi feel a sense of crisis; this guy has gotten even stronger!

Although he has improved a lot during this period, compared with his opponent, Messi still feels he is not good enough!
Messi's strong competitive spirit spurred him to secretly resolve to deliver a better performance in the upcoming match in response to his opponent!

Cristiano Ronaldo of the Portuguese national team shares a similar view with Messi.

After watching the match, Ronaldo felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew Lin Feng was strong, but he didn't expect him to be this strong.

Of China's seven goals, he was the one who led six of them; the opponent completely dominated the game!

Although Ronaldo had given up competing with Lin Feng after transferring to Real Madrid, seeing his friend's explosive performance still deeply motivated him.

This made him realize that if he didn't work hard to become stronger, he would start to fall behind and be outpaced by Lin Feng!
Sebatul, Portugal.

Real Madrid's manager, Mourinho, who is currently on vacation in his hometown, has also been closely following this World Cup.

As the world's biggest football club, Real Madrid has had almost all of its key players participate in this World Cup.

Among them, Lin Feng and Cristiano Ronaldo are the most watched.

However, neither of their teams are particularly strong contenders for the championship, especially Lin Feng's Chinese team.

According to Mourinho's pre-match prediction, it would be considered an exceptional performance for the Chinese team to advance from the group stage.

Unexpectedly, the Chinese team, which he did not have high hopes for, has now made it into the quarterfinals, becoming the only team from outside Europe and Latin America to reach the quarterfinals in this World Cup!

Even more astonishing was Lin Feng's performance of three goals and three assists in the round of 16, which left Mourinho speechless.

He's been coaching for so many years, what hasn't he seen?

But I've never seen anything like this before!

He scored 7 goals in 4 games and also provided 5 assists!
This phenomenal performance is something that even legends like Pelé and Maradona could hardly match.
……

London, Arsenal Football Club.

During the World Cup, Professor Wenger did not take a break but continued to work overtime at the club.

As is customary, the football transfer market becomes incredibly active every year after the World Cup, with a large number of players who excel at the World Cup taking the opportunity to join the top five European leagues or even elite clubs, achieving a meteoric rise in their careers.

For Arsenal, burdened with huge debts and whose owners are stingy and unwilling to invest.

This summer's transfer window presents both an opportunity and a test for them!

The opportunity refers to the emergence of many promising young talents this year, which presents a great opportunity to strengthen Arsenal's squad.

The challenge refers to Arsenal's insufficient financial resources. Even if some young talents are very suitable for Arsenal, they may not be able to secure them due to price considerations, and they can only watch these young talents fall into the hands of other big clubs.

What Wenger and his coaching staff need to do is to identify the most suitable candidates from these outstanding players and include them in Arsenal's transfer target list.

Then, try to negotiate with the player's club as much as possible to buy the player at the lowest possible price.

Seeing that Fabregas and Van Persie have both grown up, Wenger feels very gratified.

I think it's time to strengthen Arsenal and make them great again.

Six years have passed since they last won the league title.

Manchester United is currently on a downward spiral, Chelsea is clearly in turmoil due to frequent managerial changes, and as for Liverpool and Manchester City, although they seem to have hope of rising again, they are always just a little short of winning the championship.

So this is the best opportunity for Arsenal!

"Hmm, Germany's Müller is quite good. He's agile, has a keen sense of positioning, and is very young. I just don't know if Bayern Munich would be willing to let him go?"

"This Özil is also good. He's a promising young attacking midfielder. Although he's quite a bit behind top midfielders like Lin Feng, he should be enough for Arsenal. It's just that he looks a bit fragile. I wonder if he can adapt to the physical intensity of the Premier League?"

“This Eriksen from Denmark is also an option. Although he’s only 18, he looks incredibly talented. But he works for Ajax, and Ajax is a notorious black market, known for buying low and selling high. Trying to buy someone from them at a low price might be a bit difficult!”

Looking at the huge pile of young prodigies in front of him, Wenger was utterly overwhelmed with choices.

Wenger has always had a fondness for young prodigies, and if he could, he would love to recruit all of these outstanding young talents under his command.

I just regret that I don't have enough money to allow him to do that!

After skimming through the first few lists, Wenger's gaze settled on the last one:

Keisuke Honda, midfielder for the Japanese national team.

Although Arsenal had never signed a Japanese player before, Keisuke Honda, as one of the representatives of young players, has still attracted the attention of Wenger with his outstanding performances in the Russian Premier League and this World Cup.

Arsenal previously signed Tsar Shahvin from the Russian Premier League. He performed exceptionally well after joining Arsenal, which impressed Wenger and made him take notice of Russian Premier League players.

So, after Ligue 1, the professor then used the Russian Premier League as a talent pipeline for Arsenal.

Coincidentally, the Japanese team and the Chinese team have a World Cup knockout match to play, and the Chinese team happens to have Lin Feng, the world's best midfielder.

Wenger therefore took this match very seriously, wanting to observe Honda Keisuke's performance in his duel with Lin Feng, the world's best midfielder.

The result was very disappointing to him. Keisuke Honda had almost no outstanding performance throughout the game, while Lin Feng on the other side of him went on a killing spree.

With 3 goals and 3 assists, even the professor was stunned!

Is this even human?
He's practically a god on the field!

Compared to Lin Feng, Keisuke Honda suddenly seems less appealing.

The professor began to regret his decision not to buy Lin Feng's property earlier.

If I had signed Lin Feng back in 2005, Arsenal would probably be on a roll by now… (End of Chapter)