Chapter 3: Is He Kaka Himself?
“What a beautiful goal!”
“That pass was truly a stroke of genius!”
“What incredible vision! How did he spot Gao Lin’s position?”
“Linzi Ge is awesome!”
“Gao Lin’s pass was also excellent, full of ingenuity!”
“Is no one going to praise King Dong? His physique, tsk tsk, truly fierce!”
“Exactly, how could a man chosen by Sir Alex Ferguson be bad?”
Seeing the National Youth Team finally score, the Chinese fans watching the game on TV at home all breathed a sigh of relief, unreservedly praising everyone involved in the attack.
Although Dong Fangzhuo’s shot was spectacular, many fans attributed the main credit to Lin Feng.
Without him spotting the defensive gap on the opponent’s left flank and delivering such a precise long pass, the National Youth Team would not have had such a good scoring opportunity.
After seeing Lin Feng’s outstanding performance, the fans who had previously questioned him all fell silent.
Many even posed a soul-searching question:
Why wasn’t such a good player sent onto the field earlier?
In the eyes of many, if Klaus Toppmöller hadn’t been holding back and had sent Lin Feng on earlier, perhaps the game would have been won long ago, and it wouldn’t have turned out this way.
Just imagine, if Lin Feng and Chen Tao formed a dual attacking midfielder combination, the midfield would be practically invincible!
During the 2002 World Cup, Brazil Team had used a dual attacking midfielder tactic with Rivaldo + Ronaldinho, and the strength of that Brazil Team was evident to the whole world.
Of course, this was just a fan’s fantasy; this National Youth Team had too big a gap compared to that Brazil Team.
The midfield combination of Lin Feng and Chen Tao could at most only be considered a youth and poor man’s version of Ronaldinho and Rivaldo.
...
Seeing the National Youth Team players celebrating wildly on the sidelines, the Germany players were utterly dejected.
Victory was originally within reach; they were already preparing for the semi-final match.
But with the opponent’s goal, they watched their almost-secured victory just fly away!
When the National Youth Team scored, there was less than a minute left until the end of the match, literally only a few tens of seconds.
This feeling of suddenly falling from heaven to hell was too great a blow for young players whose mentality was not yet mature.
After injury time ended, the two sides drew 3:3, and the match went into extra time.
Due to the short time, the players didn’t have time to return to the locker room and discussed extra time tactics with the head coach on the sidelines.
The 5-minute break quickly ended, and both teams’ players returned to the field.
Perhaps it was because their mentality had suffered a major blow, or perhaps it was because the National Youth Team’s combat power greatly increased after the substitution.
After extra time began, the National Youth Team’s morale was soaring, and their offensive was like a tide.
In contrast, Germany’s morale was low, and they were in a state of panic.
Soon, the National Youth Team completely gained control of the field and began to press Germany.
This scene made the Chinese fans, who had just been looked down upon by German fans, suddenly feel triumphant, and their backs straightened considerably.
“What a damn European powerhouse, I think they’re nothing special!”
“Exactly, still World Cup runners-up, I think they just got lucky because of the Korea Team!”
During the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup, a certain country used unscrupulous methods to surprisingly eliminate top European powerhouses like Italy and Spain, causing Germany to face the weakest opponent among the top four—Korea Team—in the semi-finals.
After being warned by Football Emperor Beckenbauer that the opponent dared not continue to use underhanded tactics, Germany finally advanced to the final.
That Germany World Cup Team was not considered a top powerhouse, and they lost decisively in the final, so many fans called them the worst runners-up in history.
Many people believed that if it had been Italy or Spain instead of Korea Team that advanced to the semi-finals, it would be hard to say whether Germany could have advanced to the final.
So, since then, many people have mocked the Germans, saying their runner-up title was undeserved.
Seemingly unable to tolerate their China Team being so passive, Germany’s coach waved his hand, instructing his players to execute a high-pressing tactic.
Compared to Asians, Europeans have a clear physical advantage, and by relying on physical confrontation and stamina, they usually gained the upper hand when facing Asia teams in the past.
But this time, Germany’s relentless pressing not only failed to succeed but also exposed the space behind them.
In the 95th minute, National Youth Team defensive midfielder Cui Peng successfully won the ball back in midfield and immediately passed it to Lin Feng without hesitation.
Although Lin Feng had not been fighting alongside them for long, he had already earned the recognition and trust of his teammates with his excellent performance.
When Cui Peng passed the ball, Lin Feng was already accelerating and sprinting.
After receiving the ball, his speed not only didn’t decrease but continued to accelerate.
This terrifying acceleration capability made the eyes of the fans who came to watch the game go wide.
“A counter-attack from China Team, Lin Feng is dribbling and sprinting!”
“What incredible speed, he’s bypassed Germany’s number 7, Beneski, and shaken off number 4, Matip, who wanted to chase him; he’s still accelerating, he’s like a whirlwind, overturning the German war machine!”
From an aerial view of the field, one could see a red figure, like a sharp knife, piercing through all obstacles in a crowd of white figures, moving forward relentlessly.
Nearby Germany players rushed up one after another, but like waves crashing against a dam, they all returned defeated.
No one could stop him!
Lin Feng dribbled the ball and sprinted forward; his speed grew faster and faster, even the last Germany defender was left behind by his sheer speed!
This terrifying speed, this highly impactful offensive style.
It made the fans’ blood boil and drove them wild!
At this moment, all the fans in the stadium stood up; almost no one remained in their seats.
Everyone craned their necks, eagerly looking towards Germany’s goal.
No matter how spectacular the previous performance, if it couldn’t result in a goal, it would ultimately be useless.
But once this ball went in, the meaning would be completely different, and it might even become the most spectacular goal in this World Youth Championship!
“Go, Linzi Ge!”
“Charge, Lin Ge!”
“Don’t be a coward, go for it!”
Countless Chinese fans watching the game on TV were also cheering for Lin Feng at this moment.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lin Feng shook off the last defender, dribbled into the penalty area, and went one-on-one!
Germany’s Goal Keeper made the decision to rush out.
His choice was correct, but it was useless.
The moment the Goal Keeper rushed out, Lin Feng had already swung his right foot, kicking the ball fiercely.
With a loud bang!
The football, like a cannonball, whistled as it crashed towards the goal.
Germany’s Goal Keeper only felt a blur before his eyes; he couldn’t see anything clearly before he heard a crisp swish.
Goal!
The score became 4:3, and China Team took the lead again.
Now, Germany was trailing.
However, no one at the stadium, including the fans watching on TV, cared about the result anymore.
Everyone was stunned by the process of Lin Feng’s goal just now.
It was too brutal!
No one expected that this seemingly gentle young man, with a handsome face and an elegant and amiable demeanor, would have such a violent side.
This strong contrast almost immediately reminded people of another player in football, Milan’s rising star—Kaka!