Football: He suffered a broken leg at the start of the game, but partnered with Haaland!

When the referee saw Sun Yang re-enter the field and stand still, he immediately raised his right arm and blew his whistle to signal the resumption of the game.

Uzbekistan kicks off from the center circle. Forward Abdikholkov passes the ball back to his partner in the backfield, then strolls leisurely towards the front as if his legs were made of lead. Several Uzbek midfielders symbolically pass the ball around a couple of times in front of the defensive line, showing absolutely no desire to advance.

The Chinese team, naturally, wasn't in a hurry either. With a large lead and a very good chance of qualifying, they had no need to engage in a fierce battle. The remaining schedule was still very tight, and conserving energy was Cannavaro's biggest task at this stage.

The match has completely entered the stage of a fixed-match game.

After the ball rolled out of bounds due to a passing error, possession was returned to the Chinese team.

Sun Yang received the ball in the heart of midfield. The Uzbek players simply parked the bus around the edge of the penalty area, completely abandoning the midfield.

Sun Yang, with the ball under his feet, leisurely observed his teammates' positioning. He gently pushed the ball to Hu Jinghang on the left wing. Hu Jinghang didn't rush to dribble past them; seeing that the opposing winger wasn't pressing, he smoothly passed the ball across to Huang Zhengyu in the middle.

The Chinese players began practicing passing in their own half. The ball circulated between the two defensive midfielders and the backline. Each player had ample time to look up and observe after receiving the ball. Even if someone's first touch was slightly clumsy, causing the ball to bounce half a meter away, the Uzbek players would only glance at it from a distance, showing no intention of pressing or closing in.

This low-intensity match pace allowed the young Chinese Olympic team players to play with unprecedented relaxation.

As soon as the ball reaches the edge of the 30-meter zone in the attacking third, and Uzbekistan's defense tightens up slightly, Sun Yang immediately drops back to receive the pass. He receives the ball, turns, and evades it with fluid movements, retrieving it and then delivering a precise long pass to the other flank, where the ball is unchallenged.

Several large-scale lateral shifts and pulls gradually eroded the time.

In the empty stadium, only the clear shouts of the Chinese team players and the dull "thump-thump" of the football hitting the instep of their feet could be heard.

Even the broadcast director was getting sleepy, and started frequently showing close-ups of the GG sign on the sidelines and the corner flags that were fluttering in the wind.

The match progressed uneventfully to the 80th minute.

The scoreboard remained firmly in the 3-0 line. In the past ten minutes, China's possession had skyrocketed to an absurd 75%.

Cannavaro stood up and glanced down at his watch. It was time to call it a day, to remove the key players for protection and give the young substitutes some experience from the continental competition.

He turned around, waved to the substitutes' bench, and called out three names.

"Liu Ruofan, Zhao Jianfei, and Chen Binbin, get to the warm-up area and start running!"

The three young players couldn't contain themselves any longer. As soon as they heard their coach's call, they immediately ripped off their thermal jackets and ran to the corner flag area to start doing quick shuttle runs and stretching their leg muscles.

Three minutes later, the ball went out of play. The fourth official on the sidelines raised the electronic substitution board precisely on time.

The red numbers are flashing.

10号下，21号上。9号下，19号上。17号下，7号上。

Cannavaro made a sweeping substitution, bringing on three players. Liu Ruofan replaced striker Zhang Yuning, Chen Binbin replaced winger Yang Liyu, and Zhao Jianfei replaced midfield maestro Sun Yang.

Upon seeing the number on the substitution board, Sun Yang slowed his pace and walked from the center of the court towards his own backcourt.

Zhang Yuning and Yang Liyu had already walked off the court and were giving high-fives to their substitute teammates.

As Sun Yang walked, he took off the captain's armband from his left arm, which represented the highest command authority on the field. Although it was only the second time he had worn this armband, in this game he had completely displayed the dominance worthy of the capital C printed on the armband.

He walked to the edge of his own penalty area and handed the armband to the approaching center-back, Zhu Chenjie.

"This position is yours to manage from now on, Lao Zhu." Sun Yang straightened the edge of Zhu Chenjie's armband and patted the other's broad shoulder hard.

"Don't worry, Yang-ge, they can't even get past the halftime line right now, they're just strolling around." Zhu Chenjie grinned widely, unconsciously straightening his back.

"Don't get carried away." Sun Yang's expression turned serious as he lowered his voice to give instructions. "Pull the formation back another five meters, tighten the flank pockets. If those two forwards get impatient and try to go it alone, you directly instruct the entire defense to create an offside trap. Don't give them a chance to shoot in the penalty area. Understand?"

"I've got it." Zhu Chenjie nodded solemnly, his eyes becoming serious.

Sun Yang then turned around with satisfaction and walked towards the sidelines.

The fourth official stood outside the white line, carefully inspecting Zhao Jianfei's shoe nails. Zhao Jianfei nervously rubbed his palms, which were covered in sweat. As soon as Sun Yang approached, he immediately stretched out his hands.

"Clap!" A crisp slap.

"Play steadily, don't rush forward in a moment of impulsiveness. When you get the ball, find the defensive midfielder to pass it on first." Sun Yang gave this advice and stepped out of bounds.

Because of the empty stadium, the exit was unusually quiet, lacking the thunderous applause of the past. Cannavaro strode forward to greet him. This time, he didn't waste any words, but reached out and ruffled Sun Yang's sweat-drenched hair, handing him an open bottle of mineral water, his eyes full of fatherly admiration.

Sun Yang took the water and gulped down two mouthfuls, then went straight to the back of the bench and found an empty seat to lie down. The support staff, with great awareness, handed him a thick, clean, dry towel.

Sun Yang spread out a dry towel and covered his head directly, leaving only the lower half of his face exposed. This was to prevent him from catching a cold from the night breeze on the sidelines after sweating. Zhang Yuning and Yang Liyu followed suit, and the three of them, with white towels on their heads, slumped side by side in their chairs, their eyes fixed intently on the remaining matches on the court.

"You played so incredibly well today. Yang, that last pass of yours was absolutely brilliant," Yang Liyu said casually, leaning back in his seat.

"They were impatient. If that captain had just taken a step back, I wouldn't have had any space to pass the ball." Sun Yang's voice, muffled by a towel, sounded very relaxed. "The next match against Iran will be the real tough battle. Their attacking power on the wings is much stronger than these Central Asians."

"Who cares? With you dealing the cards in midfield, even if the King of Heaven himself comes, we can still have a go at him!" Zhang Yuning interjected domineeringly, peeling a banana and taking a big bite.

The game has completely entered garbage time.

Uzbekistan completely abandoned pressing, even deliberately delaying goal kicks. The newly substituted Chinese players were active, but under Cannavaro's tight formation, they didn't forcefully pressure the opponent's defense.

The referee's pace on the field visibly slowed, and he frequently glanced down at his watch. Although the second half was interrupted several times due to red cards and fouls, he didn't even seem interested in adding extra time, symbolically gesturing for two minutes of stoppage time.

In the 92nd minute, an Uzbek defender launched a long ball aimlessly from near the center circle, sending it soaring high into the night sky and flying straight into the empty stands.

The referee didn't wait for the caddie to throw the spare ball; instead, he put the silver whistle in his mouth, raised his arms, and blew it sharply.

"Beep—beep—beep!!!"

Three sharp whistles, alternating between long and short, rang out in the empty Songkhla Stadium.

The match is over!

The final score was 3-0! This Chinese Olympic team, which was not favored before the match, cleanly defeated the strong Central Asian team with the help of the temporary captain who was parachuted in, and the team's perfect tactical and intellectual dominance. With absolute dominance, they secured a valuable qualification spot in advance!