Chapter 2: Stepping Up, Equalizing Against Germany!
"Who is this No. 23?"
"I don't know him!"
"Did Klaus Toppmöller lose his mind? He actually replaced Chen Tao with an unknown guy!"
"Could it be that the German got paid to throw the game?"
"I'd say that's very likely. The opponent is Germany, and he's a German, so he must want his own country's China Team to win!"
"Damn it, that accursed German, how despicable!"
Due to Klaus Toppmöller's incredibly puzzling substitution, various conspiracy theories were flying around.
Even the CCTV commentator admitted he didn't understand:
"To be honest, I also don't quite understand Coach Klaus Toppmöller's substitution, but he must have his reasons for doing so."
Chen Tao was playing so well, why take him off?
However, due to his official commentator status, he couldn't directly criticize Klaus Toppmöller at this moment.
But he had already anticipated how fiercely the public would criticize Klaus Toppmöller's substitution after the match.
Unless the player who replaced Chen Tao could have a better impact on the game and lead the National Youth Team to equalize or even reverse the score.
But was that possible?
"There isn't much time left for the China Team!"
Huang Jianxiang sighed, uttering his classic line.
Although the fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions were utterly disappointed with the National Youth Team's performance, they still resisted the urge to turn off or even smash their TVs. They watched while cursing, and deep down, they silently hoped for a miracle to happen.
After all, it was their own child; no matter how harshly they cursed, they still hoped she could improve.
...
Facing the fans' doubts, Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. After high-fiving Chen Tao, he quickly rushed onto the field.
After the substitution was completed, the match resumed. The National Youth Team immediately launched an attack on Germany after the kickoff.
Countless fans, both inside and outside the stadium, widened their eyes, staring intently at the young player wearing the No. 23 jersey on the field.
Their thought was simple: I want to see what this guy, who replaced Chen Tao, is capable of.
Compared to Chen Tao, who excelled at dribbling and breaking through, Lin Feng had a different playing style.
Greater range of movement, more aggressive pressing in the attacking third, and stronger attacking impetus!
His technical skills were comprehensive; he could pass, receive, organize, and link up play, but none were as impressive as Chen Tao's.
However, his speed was incredibly fast. After he came on, the China Team's quick counterattacks made Germany nervous and on edge.
Fast, strong attacking impetus, wide range of movement, and participating in overall defense.
Isn't this the modern attacking midfielder's style of play?
The scouts present at the stadium's eyes lit up, and they quickly recognized Lin Feng's playing style.
With the gradual decline of the classic attacking midfielder, major top clubs are increasingly favoring modern attacking midfielders.
Compared to classic attacking midfielders, modern attacking midfielders are faster, have stronger explosive power, and are more aggressive. The most typical example is Kaka, who plays for AC Milan.
Although he is not a forward, he has to carry the attacking banner for AC Milan.
And Lin Feng's playing style was exactly that of a modern attacking midfielder.
He can run, defend, dribble, carry, pass, and shoot – truly an all-around player!
Ordinary fans might not have the professional eye of a scout, but they weren't blind either.
After just a few minutes of watching, they discovered Lin Feng's strengths. It seemed that after he came on, the China Team's offense had improved?
Germany's defense seemed to be struggling to cope?
Suddenly, the shouts of conspiracy theories and attacks on Klaus Toppmöller significantly diminished.
The 90 minutes of regular time had ended, and the Referee's injury time was relatively conservative, only 3 minutes!
There really wasn't much time left for the China Team!
"Score one!"
"Shoot quickly!"
The fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions also started to get anxious.
As time ticked away second by second, everyone felt as if a rope was tightening around their necks, slowly constricting, giving them a suffocating feeling.
But Germany's defense in the penalty area was very resilient. The National Youth Team's several frontal attacks were either cleared by defenders or saved by the Goal Keeper.
Although the National Youth Team had completely dominated at this point, besieging Germany's goal, they had the advantage but couldn't score, unable to break through.
Realizing that they could advance if they just held on for the last few minutes, Germany retreated all their players, as if they wanted to park a bus in front of their own goal!
In the 2nd minute of injury time, the score on the field was still 3:2, with the National Youth Team still trailing by one goal.
The players on the field were burning with anxiety. Even the Goal Keeper left his goal to join the attack in the opponent's half, hoping to seize that last chance to equalize the score.
However, the overly dense crowd in the attacking third actually reduced the available space on the field, affecting the China Team's attacking coordination.
Seeing this, Lin Feng proactively dribbled the ball towards the right flank, trying to stretch the opponent's formation outwards.
Germany's defensive formation indeed began to shift towards the right due to his action.
This created space on the left side.
Gao Lin, who was a clever player, was the first to spot this opening.
He originally intended to move out of the penalty area first, then signal to his teammate for the ball.
But before he could even signal, his front foot had just withdrawn from the penalty area when his back foot saw the ball flying towards him.
The timing of the pass was perfect, which shocked Gao Lin: Who on earth anticipated my movement?
The answer was naturally Lin Feng. He saw Gao Lin's movement, so he passed the ball over immediately!
But Gao Lin seemed a bit caught off guard and almost made a mistake in controlling the ball, causing him to miss the chance for a direct shot.
Seeing the defending player rushing towards him, Gao Lin gave up his chance to shoot, glanced at his teammate's position in the penalty area, and kicked the ball into the box.
It's up to you, King Dong!
Compared to the caught-off-guard Gao Lin, Dong Fangzhuo had been constantly tracking the ball's trajectory.
Seeing Gao Lin preparing to pass, Dong Fangzhuo, as strong as a young tiger, pushed away the defender entangled with him and rushed towards Gao Lin. After receiving the ball, he took a half-turn and swept it into the net.
The score became 3:3!
The China Team stubbornly equalized the score in injury time!
Boom!
Thunderous applause erupted at the stadium!
Fans holding up the Chinese national flag roared themselves hoarse, venting their excited emotions.
"The goal is in! In! In! In!"
"3:3! The China Team equalized the score in the last minute of injury time!"
"The match is not over yet, our World Youth Championship is not over yet!"
In the commentary booth, Huang Jianxiang also excitedly jumped up the moment Dong Fangzhuo scored, not even realizing his voice had cracked.
He loved this new No. 23!
