Chapter 16 The Stunning Sun Jingbo

The second round of Group C between the Chinese team and the Greek team will be held at the Dunes Stadium in Natal at 8pm local time on June 19th, Brazil time, which is 6am Beijing time on June 20th.

The Dunes Stadium is different from other World Cup stadiums because this stadium was specially built by the Brazilian government to host the World Cup. The most striking feature of the stadium is undoubtedly the petal-shaped roof, which is very beautiful.

The Dune Stadium has a smaller capacity than the Pernambuco Arena where the Chinese team defeated Ivory Coast in the first round, but it is only 4,000 seats smaller and can accommodate 42,000 fans.

It is worth mentioning that at the Pernambuco Arena, like the Dunes Stadium, in the hour before the game started, there were far more Chinese fans wearing red T-shirts or jerseys than fans of the Greek national team.

It can be seen from the close-up shots of the entire stadium that the on-site director gave before the game that Chinese fans accounted for at least half, which means that the combined number of Greek fans and neutral fans was comparable to the number of Chinese fans present.

So much so that Greek National Sports TV commentator Frizas Yekas said helplessly after seeing the scene: "China's land area is about 73 times that of our country, and its population is about 128 times that of ours. Excluding local Brazilian fans in this game, the number of Chinese fans is much higher than the number of fans in our country, so where is this neutral venue? It is completely the home court of the Chinese team! Why did Côte d'Ivoire lose in the end? I think the stands have an absolute numerical advantage Chinese fans play a vital role!"

The Yang 5 commentator sitting in the senior commentator's seat at the Sand Dunes Stadium said with emotion: "A large population is often a worry for the country, but this time it is absolutely happy. Think about our national team. No matter which country the club plays in, the fans There is absolutely no need to worry about the number of fans. The fans of the Dragons, which was established in Xi'an, Shaanxi last July, will be very enthusiastic and turn the entire Dune Stadium into a sea of ​​red. This will definitely have a positive meaning for the national team's next games."

The commentator of partner He Wei has been rotated, and Gong Lei is the one. He went on to say: "The home court factor plays a very important role in football matches, especially as the balanced development of the world's overall football becomes more and more important. We The team can feel the treatment of the home team in this fanatical World Cup atmosphere, which has a positive effect on the performance of the players. At the same time, it can also bring certain psychological hints to the Greek team. They are the visiting team, and... we... It’s the home team!”

"That's right! The Greek team, which lost in the first round, must win in this round to retain their hope of promotion. Therefore, the players will inevitably be burdened with huge pressure. This is something that the Chinese team, which has a psychological advantage, can take advantage of. In addition, the Sand Dune Stadium Given our home atmosphere, as long as we score first, I think victory will be close to ten..."

He Wei spoke in a very targeted manner.

During the conversation, the on-site director switched to the stadium tunnel, and players from both sides of the game entered the player tunnel from their respective locker rooms one after another.

The Chinese team once again drew an away draw before the game, but because the Greek national team's home jersey is white, it does not affect the Chinese team's continued wearing of red jerseys in the second round of the World Cup group stage.

In the player tunnel, the player who received the most attention was undoubtedly world-class superstar Tang Zheng.

The first Chinese player that many Greek players saw was the tall Tang Zheng, but Tang Zheng had no acquaintances in the Greek team, so he only encouraged his teammates, especially the 18-year-old Sun Jingbo, who had not previously represented the national team.

Regarding Sun Jingbo, Tang Zheng was quite optimistic about his career prospects. He was 1.83 meters tall, skilled with his feet, extremely fast, and had superb shooting skills.

If I had to find a flaw, it would be that his body is not strong enough.

However, Sun Jingbo is only eighteen years old this year. It is inevitable that his body is not strong enough because his body is still developing.

Tang Zheng has no acquaintances with the Greek team. Are there any players on the Chinese team who are familiar with the Greek team players?

Yan Junling and Lu Liang, who played for Dortmund, and central defender Papastathopoulos, who moved to Dortmund last summer, were talking and laughing.

However, Lu Liang did not stay in the player tunnel after chatting with Papastathopoulos. Instead, he walked straight to the court and to the bench. Due to the tactical reasons of head coach Lippi in this game, he will sit on the bench and be on standby.

Lu Liang is capable of playing the main role in Dortmund, but now he is sitting on the bench in the second round. It is somewhat surprising, especially the Greek national team coach Santos. He was puzzled when he got the starting lineup of the Chinese team an hour before the game. Its solution.

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"CCTV, CCTV, the game that is being broadcast for you now is the 22nd game of the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which is also the first game of the second round of Group C. The Chinese team faced the Greek national team at the Sand Dunes Stadium in Natal, Brazil. "

He Wei, the commentator of Central 5, subconsciously said the standard commentary lines of Central 5.

"The first to kick off is the Chinese team. They are wearing the traditional red jersey and red pants, attacking from the right side of the screen to the left. The Greek national team is wearing the white jersey and blue pants, attacking from the left side of the screen. Attack on the right..."

The Chinese team, which had a kick-off advantage, did not rush to attack. The football quickly came to the feet of the rhythm controller Tang Zheng, who decided the direction and timing of the attack.

Tang Zheng was not in a hurry to launch an attack, and the commentator in the on-site commentary box took advantage of this time to announce the starting lineups of both sides.

The Chinese team's starting lineup has made two position adjustments. Sun Jingbo and Li Xuepeng replaced Lu Liang and Ren Hang respectively. The formation has also changed, from the previous 4-2-3 formation to the current 4-4-2 formation.

Gao Lin is at the front of the striker, Sun Jingbo serves as a second forward, Tang Zheng and captain Zheng Zhi partner as a central midfielder, Wu Sanshi and Hao Junmin are on the left and behind.

Left back Jiang Zhipeng, double center back Feng Xiaoting partnered with Li Xuepeng, Zhang Linpeng right back, the goal is still guarded by Dortmund's main goalkeeper Yan Junling.

The Greek team's formation is 4-5-1, with goalkeeper Kanezis, four defenders Maniadis, Manolas, Papastathopoulos and Holebas, midfielders Fitfazidis, Torosidis, Khachulanis, Cone and Samaras, with Mitroglu at the front.

It is worth mentioning that Maniadis, Manolas and Holebas on the back line are all from Greek domestic giant Olympiakos. Not to mention the offense, there will definitely be a tacit understanding on defense.

The Greek team, which is good at defensive counterattacks, did not control the rhythm of the game because it was more famous than the Chinese team. They even gave up the pretentious frontcourt press after the Chinese team kicked off and retreated directly to the half court.

The Greek team's choice was exactly the same as Lippi's assumption before the game, so Lippi's 4-4-2 formation for this game was more conducive to the Chinese team's offense.

Except for Zheng Zhi, who is positioned further back, Tang Zheng's position is almost parallel to the forward line.

At this time, Sun Jingbo's running position selection becomes particularly important.

The reason why Lippi chose to replace Lu Liang with Sun Jingbo as the starter must be supported by relevant tactics.

In addition to his excellent personal ability, Sun Jingbo can gain a place in the tactical system of Barcelona B team, that is, his running position is very good, and he can give the ball holder more passing options.

No, just one and a half minutes into the game, Sun Jingbo received a through ball from Tang Zheng on the right side of the attack and took advantage of the situation to shoot directly from a distance of 25 meters from the goal.

Fortunately, goalkeeper Kanezis was very focused and well positioned. He flew up and lifted the ball over the crossbar with his right palm, giving the Chinese team only a corner kick.

Two minutes later, the Chinese team's offense made a comeback. Hao Junmin cooperated well with Zhang Linpeng on the right. Then Hao Junmin cut the ball in and passed it back to Tang Zheng who was on the right side of the ball. Tang Zheng kept passing the ball directly behind him.

Zhang Linpeng stepped in at high speed, stopped Tang Zheng's well-timed pass, and then passed a very exquisite inverted triangle pass.

Gao Lin attracted the attention of Manolas and Papastathopoulos at the front point. Sun Jingbo, who was running erratically, pushed the ball from the right side of the penalty spot. The ball bypassed goalkeeper Cane who fell to the ground to save. After Zis fell to the ground, his outstretched left arm rolled to the near corner.

But after passing Kanezis, Football Rouai also bypassed the left post of the goal and rolled out of the baseline.

"Oh oh oh——"

There was a huge cry of regret from Chinese fans over the Sand Dunes Stadium.

At the same time, there were also subconscious exclamations from Greek fans.

"What a pity! Sun Jingbo's shot just in front of the goal missed the goal post! The Chinese team missed an excellent opportunity to exceed the score!" He Wei, the commentator of CC5, said in a tone full of regret, and then changed his voice: "This is the first time to represent the country. Sun Jingbo, who played in the team and started the game, is very commendable for not having any timidity. His running position is very ghostly, and the Greek team's defensive players can't guard him at all. I finally know why coach Lippi let him replace Lu Liang in the starting lineup. , his performance was great!”

The implication is that Sun Jingbo is likely to be the one for the Chinese team to break through the Greek team.

The broadcast showed a close-up shot of Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team. His expression was exactly the same as that of the players on the court, which was quite regretful.

If the deadlock can be broken in the first five minutes, Greece will definitely expose a bigger problem if it comes out.

As the big brother, Tang Zheng turned around, touched Sun Jingbo's head affectionately, and said with a smile: "You are in great shape today! I believe that the head coach Lippi believes that you are the right choice. There will be many opportunities next."

While walking back, Tang Zheng turned around and said, "Of course, you have to keep running. Only when you get to a good position can I pass the ball to you."

"Brother Zheng, I understand."

Sun Jingbo nodded vigorously.

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In the blink of an eye, in the past ten minutes of the game, the Chinese team unexpectedly took the initiative, while the Greek team, which had superior overall ability, defended passively.

In these ten minutes, the Chinese team completed four shots, two of which were completed by rising star Sun Jingbo, and the other two were completed by Tang Zheng and Gao Lin.

In fact, the Chinese team's attack in the frontcourt can be carried out more quickly, but Tang Zheng took into account the rapid counterattacks that the Greek team is good at, so he did not dare to participate too deeply in the forward attack, and focused more on passing the ball.

Captain Zheng Zhi's running ability has declined significantly due to his age. He plays more of an interception and ball distribution role, so Tang Zheng had to increase running coverage in the four-midfield configuration.

However, after ten minutes of the game, the Chinese team's offense took the initiative to slow down the pace, and the pressure of the forward line and avant-garde line was not as strong as before.

It is not difficult for fans who know a little bit about football game tactics to see that the Chinese team is actually trying to push the Greek team's defense forward.

Because only when their defense line is in good condition can the Chinese team's two wing advantages be brought into full play.

In addition, Tang Zheng's outstanding vision can also create murderous intent.

In the 16th minute of the game, Tang Zheng circled the ball in the middle of the Greek defensive half and passed the pressing Greek forward Mitroglu, and then suddenly made a long pass to attack the left rib.

Wu Sanshi did not start, left back Jiang Zhipeng diagonally inserted into the defensive space between Papastathopoulos and Hollebas, and Tang Zheng's long pass of more than 30 meters landed in the space behind them.

"Ouch-ouch——"

A huge chant suddenly erupted over the Sandhills Stadium.

By the time Papastathopoulos and Hollebas reacted, it was too late, and goalkeeper Kanezis abandoned the goal.

I don’t know if the sudden loud shouts from the stands affected Jiang Zhipeng. He made a mistake in stopping the ball while running at high speed, and the football rolled towards goalkeeper Kanezis.

Although goalkeeper Kanetsis is not the number one goalkeeper in Granada, his ability is extraordinary, his performance is remarkable in the limited number of appearances, and he has amazing performances from time to time, so he can become the number one player of the Greek national team. goalkeeper.

Realizing that Jiang Zhipeng made a mistake in stopping the ball, Kanezis immediately accelerated, pushed forward with both feet, and pounced on the football like a hungry tiger pouncing on food.

In order to avoid a foul, Jiang Zhipeng, who made the mistake, took the initiative to slow down, then took off with all his strength, jumped over the head of goalkeeper Kanezis who was rushing towards the football, and then rolled to relieve his force.

Jiang Zhipeng, who landed on the ground, immediately hammered the grass with regret. If he could stop the ball within his control as usual, not to mention that he would have a chance to score, and there would be many options.

Forward Gao Lin and second forward Sun Jingbo both ran in accordance with the pre-match tactics. As long as the pass is out of control, your chance of scoring will be as high as 80%!

There was no direct physical collision between Jiang Zhipeng and Kanezis, and the referee did not blow the whistle to suspend the game.

After the Greek goalkeeper Kanezis got up, he directly threw the ball to the right side of the midfield with a helper and launched a quick counterattack.

The Greek fans in the stands seemed very excited. They seemed to see the team they supported launch a successful and rapid counterattack, and then break through the Chinese goal guarded by Yan Junling.

But many times the ideal is rich and the reality is cruel.

Samaras, who is over 1.9 meters tall, stopped the ball to the right with his body and turned around flexibly.

However, the moment he completed his turn, he realized the danger and subconsciously jumped on the spot, just in time to avoid a front-on tackle from the Chinese player in the red jersey.

Central 5 commentator He Wei looked at the broadcast and subconsciously shouted: "Nice shovel! Tang Zheng's ability to read the game is once again fully demonstrated. He made up for the defense in time when Jiang Zhipeng stepped forward to participate in the attack!"