Chapter 176 The Chinese team showed dominance! Gao Lin’s speed is actually not slow, otherwise, so many people would not think that he is suitable to play as a winger. However, long-distance sprints test the player's ability to coordinate with the ball, especially when dribbling the ball at high speeds, which obviously requires a higher ability. This is not Gao Lin's strong point, so you rarely see him running long distances with the ball on the court. But if someone could help him skip the process of dribbling the ball and directly put the ball into his mouth for him to eat, Gao Lin would still be happy to put in some effort to sprint. Things developed just as Lin Feng had expected. Iraq, which was behind in the score, was eager to equalize the score, and launched a fierce attack on the Chinese team's goal after the restart. Iraq is not a weak team. In fact, the Iraqi team is definitely capable of becoming a dark horse and snatching the Asian Cup championship next year from many powerful teams. Moreover, compared with the Chinese national team's frontcourt configuration, the midfield and backcourt configuration is not strong. Facing the Iraqi team's attack, the Chinese national team's defense line encountered many dangerous situations. In the 16th minute, the Iraqi team seized a defensive loophole of the Chinese team and passed the ball into the middle of the Chinese team's penalty area. Fortunately, at the critical moment, Feng Xiaoting stood up and accurately blocked the position of Iraq's No. 18 player Mahadi, preventing the opponent from getting the ball. Once the opponent touches the ball at this position, the Chinese team's goal is very likely to be lost.
"here you go!" "Well done Feng Xiaoting!" "As expected of a Barcelona defender, he is different after having been trained in the top European leagues!" The Iraqi team's attack scared the Chinese fans so much that they praised Feng Xiaoting for defusing the attack. After clearing the ball, Feng Xiaoting roared and high-fived the captain of the national football team, Li Weifeng. The Chinese national team's defense line was under a lot of pressure from the opponent's crazy counterattack during this period, but his clearance and shout relieved the players' pressure a lot, and their morale also improved. The fans are right. Feng Xiaoting has indeed grown a lot after his experience in Barcelona. Moreover, his growth was not just about his football skills. He also learned a lot of leadership qualities from the iron-blooded captain Puyol. Know how to boost morale and boost the confidence of teammates. During the national youth team period, Feng Xiaoting was already the captain of the Chinese team. Now, his leadership qualities have become even more obvious. This made Zhu Guanghu on the sidelines nod his head frequently. If Feng Xiaoting continues to grow like this, he will become a strong contender for the captain of the Chinese team in the future. But he is also very optimistic about Lin Feng. This little guy has a strong sense of responsibility. If he is given the captain's armband, the effect will definitely be very good. Just when Zhu Guanghu was distracted, the situation on the field changed again. Seeing that the Iraqi team's attack was very fierce, the Chinese team began to increase the intensity of the midfield sweep. Under the sweep of overseas players such as Lin Feng, Chen Tao and Zheng Zhi, the Iraqi team's midfield was unable to hold the ball and organize an effective attack. Compared with the top European leagues, the pace of league games in Asian countries is generally slower. The players in the Chinese national football team who have studied abroad have generally experienced high-intensity, fast-paced games. The Iraqi players suddenly felt this high-intensity confrontation and fast-paced delivery, and seemed very uncomfortable for a while. They tried to keep up with the rhythm of the Chinese national team, but found that the consequence of forced speeding up was that the players made constant mistakes. In the 23rd minute, the Chinese national team completed a steal in the midfield and Zheng Zhi quickly passed the ball to Lin Feng.
Seeing that Gao Lin was in a good position, Lin Feng took two steps and then kicked a straight pass. The ball was passed very well and went straight through Iraq's two lines of defense. But Gao Lin only remembered that Lin Feng told him to run faster, and he didn't pay attention to his own position at all. As soon as he got the ball, the linesman raised his flag, indicating that he was offside. Gao Lin was very upset. What a good opportunity! He had a one-on-one chance after receiving the ball, so how come he was offside? Lin Feng was also speechless. He didn't know whether he passed the ball too slowly or Gao Lin ran too fast! The TV station's slow-motion replay showed that the ball was actually between offside and not offside. Gao Lin might have been just a few tenths of a second faster. Although he missed this opportunity, Gao Lin became more confident. Because the ball just now proved that Lin Feng really has the ability to pass the ball accurately to his feet among thousands of troops. All he has to do is run forward desperately! But the Chinese team's counterattack scared the Iraqi team, and they did not dare to attack for a long time. Since the Iraqi team did not attack, the Chinese national team naturally pressed forward. The Chinese national team's midfield lineup in this game was very luxurious. Lin Feng, Chen Tao, Shao Jiayi and Zheng Zhi, these four people have excellent footwork and are players who are better at attacking than defending. If Iraq had attacked with all its might, it might have been able to gain some advantage. But if they adopt a passive defense, it will inevitably provide a lot of shooting opportunities for the Chinese team's midfield attack group. In the 28th minute, the Chinese team played a wonderful combination in the frontcourt. After being passed by several players in succession, the ball was sent to the right side of the penalty area by Lin Feng. Shao Jiayi made a forward run and knocked the ball across the middle of the penalty area. Gao Lin took the opportunity to shoot, but unfortunately the ball was too straight and was directly confiscated by the goalkeeper. Seeing that the goalkeeper saved his shot, Gao Lin scratched his head, turned around and gave a thumbs up to Shao Jiayi who passed the ball. The quality of this pass was already very high, but his handling was not good enough. If he had adjusted it slightly, calmly observed the goalkeeper's position and then shot, perhaps his hit rate would have been higher. Of course, with his speed, the opponent's defender might destroy the ball before he can adjust his shot. "Gao Lin still needs to practice his archery skills!" "Yes, this is a great opportunity. If we seize it, the Chinese team will basically win the game!" The two commentators from CCTV also felt sorry for this ball, although from the field of view, the situation of the Chinese national football team was very good. But don't be careless! When it is time to score a goal, we must seize the opportunity and expand our lead early. In this way, there will be much more room for adjustment in the second half. The Asian Cup qualifiers are actually a great training opportunity for the Chinese national football team. Zhu Guanghu's national team includes players from three generations: old, middle-aged and young. There are fewer opportunities for everyone to play football together, especially fewer opportunities for them to get to know each other and cooperate with each other during the game.
If the Chinese national team could have won the battle in the first half, they could have made substitutions early in the second half, giving more players the chance to play. "It's over, it's over. Gao Lin has perfectly inherited the shortcomings of the Chinese national team's forwards!" "When I think about the Chinese national football team relying on this guy to charge into battle in the future, I feel a little scalp-tingling!" "If Li Jinyu had been on the field just now, the ball would have most likely gone in. Unfortunately, he was injured and couldn't play!" Compared to the commentators, the fans were even more excited when they saw Gao Lin miss the opportunity. The Chinese national football team lacks a reliable forward, and this has been a chronic problem for many years. Among the current group of national team players, many talents have emerged in the defense line and midfield, making up for the shortcomings of the national team in these two positions. But the forward position seems to have not improved. "Where is Dong Fangzhuo? Why not let him play? He has scored so many goals in the Belgian League. Isn't he better than Gao Lin?" "It's hard to say. Gao Lin is not weak in other aspects except shooting. Otherwise, he would not be able to play in Dortmund." "Yes, this guy has very good awareness and footwork. He can hold his position, pass the ball, and occasionally do something for you. It's just that his shooting skills are a little bit poor. If his shooting skills are better, he will be a very good striker!" The fans are not particularly dissatisfied with Gao Lin, they are just a little upset that Gao Lin missed opportunities time and time again! If Gao Lin really needs to be replaced, replacing him with someone else might not be as effective as him on the court! "No matter what, I think Dong Fangzhuo should be given a chance!" As the first Chinese player to join a top club, Dong Fangzhuo gradually fell out of favor after Lin Feng's rapid rise. But there are still many fans who remember the old friendship and think of him first and are willing to speak for him. On the Chinese team's coaching bench, Zhu Guanghu couldn't help but look back at Dong Fangzhuo after Gao Lin missed the ball. He was also thinking about this problem, but it was only the first half and there was no need to rush. It’s not too late to make substitutions in the second half! Although Gao Lin missed a good opportunity, it did not affect the morale and offense of the Chinese team at all. On the contrary, after this goal, the Chinese team's offense became more aggressive and pulled the opponent's defense on a large scale, leaving the Iraqi team's defense full of loopholes and frequent fouls. In the 33rd minute, the Iraqi team brought down Shao Jiayi outside the penalty area, giving the Chinese team a good free kick opportunity. Lin Feng and Shao Jiayi stood together to discuss how to kick the free kick: "You coming or me?" Shao Jiayi asked. Lin Feng glanced at the goal, assessed the distance, and said to Shao Jiayi: "The angle is okay, and the position is not far. It will be better to kick the ball with the left foot. How confident are you?" Shao Jiayi answered seriously: "If we attack directly, we have about a 30% chance of getting in!" Are you so sure? Lin Feng then chose to give the free kick to Shao Jiayi, stepped aside, and prepared to enjoy the performance of Shao Jiayi's golden left foot. Shao Jiayi's running distance was not far and the power of his shot was not great, but the angle of the ball was extremely tricky.
The Iraqi team's goalkeeper judged the direction correctly and touched the ball, but still could not change the fate of losing the ball. The score became 2:0, and the Chinese national team further expanded its lead in the 34th minute of the first half. "Great job, Brother Shao, you kicked the ball beautifully!" Lin Feng, who witnessed the entire process of Shao Jiayi's free throws, gave him a thumbs up and praised him sincerely. The reputation of the golden left foot is indeed well-deserved! "Haha, you just took advantage of your left foot. When it comes to free kick ability, there should be no one better than you in our country!" Shao Jiayi felt very happy to receive Lin Feng's praise. But he did not get carried away by this and still kept a clear head. There are three free kick experts in this Chinese team. They are him, Xu Yunlong and Lin Feng. Before Lin Feng joined the Chinese team, he and Xu Yunlong took the most free kicks, and they also scored goals with free kicks in national team games. But Shao Jiayi, who has played in the Bundesliga, understands that players like Lin Feng who can score five free kicks in a single season in the top five leagues are rare in the entire top five leagues. Compared to Lin Feng, they are far behind! The team lost goals one after another, which made the morale of the Iraqi players low. Younis tried hard to use his personal ability to help the team change the situation, but it was of no avail. Football is a team sport. Unless you have the strength of a king, it is totally wishful thinking to think that you can solve the battle by fighting alone! The Iraqi team's counterattack was quickly suppressed by the Chinese team. Stimulated by two consecutive goals, the Chinese team's morale was boosted and they launched another round of offensive climax. And I don’t know if it’s because of the big lead, the Chinese national team players on the field played particularly relaxed. The players were in an extremely relaxed state, they gained confidence, dared to take the ball, and were more willing to cooperate. Even some cooperation that could not be performed normally, stimulated by the cheers of the fans on the scene, suddenly came to mind and was performed at this moment. The Chinese fans who came to the scene were extremely excited to see the dazzling coordination of the Chinese team and the occasional flashes of inspiration from the players. The cheers and shouts almost never stopped. In contrast, the stands of the home team next door seemed exceptionally quiet. Well, Iraq is still in the midst of war, and not many fans have the conditions to go abroad to watch the game. Most of the fans in the home team's stands are local fans from the UAE. Perhaps because they were all Arabs, they could only clap their hands or even shout a few times. But the Iraqi team is now two goals behind, so they naturally don't have the mood to keep cheering for the Iraqi team. The boost in morale and the excitement from the fans made the Chinese team's offense more and more sharp. Even though the Iraqi team's defensive players used foul tactics, they were still unable to stop the Chinese national team's attack. In the 39th minute of the first half, the Chinese national team launched an attack from the right side.
Shao Jia made a cross from the bottom, but Gao Lin, who was in an offside position, smartly did not catch the ball and gave it to Lin Feng who came in from the top of the penalty area. When Lin Feng got the ball, two defenders from the opposing team, including the goalkeeper, came over and surrounded him on three sides. If it were other players of the Chinese national football team, they might have panicked by now. Most of the time he would have forced a shot, but Lin Feng calmly observed Gao Lin's position, and at the critical moment, he used his heel to pass the ball to Gao Lin. Gao Lin retreated to this position with the intention of shooting, but he didn't know how Lin Feng would pass the ball under such circumstances. So when the ball really appeared in front of him, Gao Lin was shocked and almost missed this great opportunity due to lack of preparation. Fortunately, he reacted in time and completed the shot before the opponent's defender destroyed the ball. The ball went into the net and the score became 3:0. Gao Lin finally scored a goal! After scoring the goal, Gao Lin rushed towards Lin Feng like crazy. If there weren't so many people at the scene, he would have wanted to knock Lin Feng into the ground. This ball was passed so damn well, it was like feeding food into one's mouth! Looking at the Chinese players celebrating wildly on the field, the home team's stands were dead silent. Both the Iraqis and the Emiratis were extremely wary of the Chinese team on the field. Isn’t it said that the Chinese team is just a second-rate team in Asia? How did he suddenly become so strong and so dominant? Is this the strength a second-rate team should have? (End of this chapter)