Chapter 34 Just Wait?

Costa Rica captain Ruiz scored a goal to break the deadlock. Countless Costa Rican fans are thinking that the historic World Cup quarterfinals are just around the corner.

But...when the game reached the 66th minute, the situation suddenly changed.

Tang Zheng received Sun Jingbo's lateral dribbling and took the ball forward with his heel. His two long legs quickly swung forward and reached the edge of the penalty area in an instant.

Since the two central midfielders were not in defensive positions, Duarte, who was positioned slightly forward in the three-center defender system, had to take the initiative to approach Tang Zheng and stand at the top of the arc in the penalty area.

Head coach Pinto made it clear before the game and at halftime that Tang Zheng could not control the ball calmly in the dangerous area at the top of the penalty area. If the situation was uncertain, he could choose to foul.

During the high-speed dribbling process, Tang Zheng noticed that the central defender who was absent from duty was the stocky Duate, and his eyes lit up.

Regardless of whether the score is tied or leading, Costa Rica's defense has been watertight and impregnable. Coupled with the amazing performance of goalkeeper Navas, the game has not conceded a goal until now.

If you want to find loopholes in Costa Rica's solid defensive system, you have to find another way.

Duarte is not particularly tall, but he is very strong, stocky, and has strong frontal defensive ability. More importantly, he has a yellow card on his back!

The shortcoming of his stocky body and strong frontal defensive ability is also obvious, that is, he is slow in movement.

Therefore, Tang Zheng consciously took the ball in the direction of Duat, then stepped forward with his right foot, dunked the ball laterally to the left with the inside of his instep, and quickly followed up with a tap with his left foot.

Fried meatballs!

Out of instinct, Duate stretched his foot when Tang Zheng moved the ball forward with the outside instep of his right foot. He tried to steal the ball, but Tang Zheng connected the two very quickly and moved his right foot forward. With one step, he slammed the ball to the left to complete the fried meatballs.

Only when Tang Zheng completed his passing move did Duat realize that he should close his feet in time.

But time waited for no one. When Duat's outstretched right foot was retracted, it still tripped Tang Zheng's right leg trailing behind.

The referee Eriksson decisively blew his whistle and ran over with a serious expression.

Standing on the sidelines, Costa Rica coach Pinto realized that the situation was not good, and the experienced captain Ruiz did the same. He quickly blocked the referee Eriksen and put his palms together.

However, the referee Eriksson was very resolute. He bypassed Ruiz and stood in front of Duat. He first pointed to the spot where the foul was committed, and then pointed to two other places before taking the ball from his left chest pocket. He took out a yellow card and then showed a red card from his trouser pocket.

In other words, Duarte's yellow card was not just for this defensive foul, but for the accumulation of three fouls.

Suddenly, huge cheers and huge boos rang out over the Pernambuco Arena. The two sounds were like two intertwined energies hovering in the air, making the entire stadium's fanatical atmosphere reach an unprecedented level.

Costa Rica head coach Pinto was helpless. There was nothing wrong with the referee Eriksson's decision. If Duarte had not received a yellow card before, this foul would not have escaped the yellow card. In addition, there were two accumulated fouls before the card was received. .

So Pinto didn't bother to negotiate with the fourth official. With his rich coaching experience, he knew that instead of doing useless work, it would be better to focus on adjusting for the next game.

Duarte plays an important role in the three-back system. Now that two yellows have changed and one red has been sent off, it is natural to find a suitable player to take his position.

With the score leading and one less player to play, defending became the only option to win the game and advance to the quarterfinals.

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Central 5 commentator He Wei's voice was obviously a little more excited. He said: "Duarte turned two yellows and one red. This is very good news when the Chinese team is one goal behind! Costa Rica, which has one less player to play, is The defensive end will definitely be neglected, and Tang Zheng, who has obtained the prerequisites for his position, will definitely find more defensive loopholes in Costa Rica. When the time comes..."

Guest commentator Gong Lei then laughed and said: "The equalizer will be just around the corner! Or even overtake! The historic World Cup quarter-finals are not a dream!"

The Chinese fans sitting in front of the TV were very excited.

A few seconds ago, they were scolding Costa Rican central defender Duarte for committing a foul. A few seconds later, they all chose to clench their fists and silently cheer for the team.

Costa Rica's defense is solid, but with one less player, if nothing else, some problems will definitely be exposed.

Of course, there are also many pessimistic fans who are looking for a sense of presence, but they have not forgotten that in the group stage match against Greece, they played an extra player and ended up drawing with Greece.

But this is only a small part, because the Chinese team has proven itself by being able to stand out from Group C.

Facing Costa Rica, which is not very strong, why can't they win the game?

Navas did not forget his responsibilities. He was directing the team's position on the wall. Duarte's foul, which resulted in a red card, also gave the Chinese team a direct free kick about 24 meters away from the goal.

This location is neither far nor far, but neither is it close.

Costa Rica head coach Pinto was explaining to Cuvelo while looking at Tang Zheng who was preparing to take the set kick at the front of his own penalty area.

The Costa Rican fans in the stands frowned, held their breath, and stared at goalkeeper Navas and penalty taker Tang Zheng.

Nava is the patron saint of Costa Rica, and Tang Zheng is the god-killer.

The winner and the loser will determine the scoreboard.

Chinese fans are also paying attention to Tang Zheng, because Tang Zheng's performance will determine whether the score will change.

It's a pity that Tang Zheng failed to control his footwork for such a close free kick. The ball went over the wall, but it also went over the crossbar and flew out of the baseline.

Despite this, the Costa Rican fans in the stands were shocked into a cold sweat.

Immediately, the referee Eriksson blew his whistle to signal personnel adjustments on the sidelines.

Costa Rica made the first adjustment of the game. Midfielder Cuvelo, wearing No. 22, replaced No. 17 Tejeda.

Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, stood on the sidelines and raised his eyebrows. He didn't know what Pinto's substitution adjustment was. He replaced a wide midfielder with a central midfielder. This kind of change cannot be said to be unheard of, but it is very common. few.

Not long after, Lippi understood Pinto's substitution adjustment intention.

When center back Duarte was sent off, the original 5-4 formation transformed into a 4-4 formation, in which the two midfielders and wide players were retaken, and the wing defense was handed over to the full-backs.

In other words, Costa Rica basically gave up wing defense and stuck to the center.

There is nothing wrong with the idea. After all, the most threatening direction of attack for the Chinese team is in the middle.

Stabilizing the center is the best way to defend the current score.

British Sky commentator Andy Gray nodded lightly: "The choice of Costa Rica coach Pinto is very correct. They are leading the score and have one less player. It is a wise choice to give up the wing, because the Chinese team still has to rely on the center to score goals and hold on firmly. The middle road is equivalent to sitting back and waiting for the rabbit, waiting for the hard work..."

Commentator Martin Taylor gave his partner Andy Gray a roll of the eyes and said to himself: "Costa Rica's defense in the middle may seem correct, but I think they are more like digging their own grave."

"Why?",

Andy Gray asked curiously.

"Because..." The live director's close-up shot showed Tang Zheng, and Martin Taylor said confidently: "Tang is unstoppable."

The British Sky fans sitting in front of the TV were speechless, especially those fans who had no good impression of Tang Zheng, and all of them had a secret scheming against Martin Taylor.

Closer to home, Costa Rica, which replaced Cuvelo, did improve its defense in the middle. At the same time, it did not give up defensive counterattacks, because captain Ruiz was still at the core of the midfield, and forward Campbell was cruising near the center circle to harass.

Although Costa Rica was fighting with one less player, their tacit and stable eight-man defensive system did not leave too many defensive holes for the Chinese team.

After receiving the football, Tang Zheng tried to organize an attack in the middle. As a result, both the ribs and the middle were full of Costa Rican players, with only two wide spaces left.

But……

Jiang Zhipeng's passing ability on the left is slightly lacking, and **'s passing ability on the right is very strong, but Gao Lin, who is at the front, cannot grab the spot under the joint defense of Umana and Gonzalez.

Sun Jingbo made a strange move and entered the penalty area in an attempt to compete for the top position. However, his body was too thin and he fell down as soon as he was hit. He was unable to grab the ball and was even whistled in the penalty area by the referee Eriksen. The flop caused the Chinese fans at the scene to create a deafening boo, which was directed at the referee Ericsson.

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In the blink of an eye, the game time came to the seventy minutes of the full game, and the fanatical atmosphere in the Pernambuco Arena was still there, and became more and more fanatical as the game time went by.

The Chinese fans looked nervous, and so did the Costa Rican fans. In order to relieve the tension, they had to vent their tension by roaring.

In the 72nd minute, the Chinese team made its second substitution adjustment of the game.

Wu Xi, who has not had a chance to play in this World Cup, replaced Hao Junmin. Lippi's substitution adjustment is very obvious, that is, Wu Xi, who has a balanced offense and defense, will partner with Zheng Zhi, completely liberating Tang Zheng.

Moreover, Wu Xi is very capable of coming in from behind and can bring new blood to the Chinese team's offense.

At the same time, Wu Xi's appearance also changed the Chinese team's formation. The original 4-2-3 formation became the current 4-3-3 formation, with Lu Liang on the left, Sun Jingbo on the right, and Gao Lin still in the middle as a single. arrow.

Tang Zheng plays as an attacking midfielder, while Wu Xi and Zheng Zhi move further back.

The division of labor between Wu Xi and Zheng Zhi is also relatively clear. Zheng Zhi is responsible for defense, and Wu Xi is responsible for the connection between the midfield and the midfield. Specifically, he should be responsible for handing the football to Tang Zheng and sharing Tang Zheng's organizational pressure.

If there is a chance, he can step in from behind to participate in the attack, and then Zheng Zhi will assume the defensive responsibility as a deep-lying midfielder.

However, as the game time passed by one second and one minute, the Chinese team's offense still failed to improve.

Tang Zheng was in good form in this game and had good footwork. He tried two long-range shots and the shots hit the goal frame. However, Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas' performance was too experienced and he defended the goal with high defense.

Among them, Tang Zheng's header from the small penalty area was subconsciously saved by Navas, otherwise the Chinese team would have equalized the score!

Francisco, the Spanish national sports TV station, exaggeratedly said: "Keyrol Navas can change his name to San Navas! His performance in this game is really amazing, and he can even defeat San Igor at his peak!"

Central 5 commentator He Wei's tone was low and regrettable: "The goalkeeper Navas, who plays for Levante, can be said to be a god in one battle! He blocked at least five must-goals for the Chinese team in this game!"

The following words, 'If Costa Rica finally defeats the Chinese team and advances to the quarterfinals, Navas will take the most credit' will naturally not be said, otherwise domestic fans will think that others' ambitions will destroy their own prestige.

The Costa Rica national TV commentator had no such concerns. He said passionately: "There is no doubt! There is only one player in this game so far! Keylor Navas! His performance today is phenomenal! If We can make history and enter the quarterfinals! Keylor Navas deserves a lot of credit!"

Time passed at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye, but the Chinese team's offense was still unable to equalize the score. Players including Tang Zheng felt a little anxious.

Long-range shots are one of the ways to break through dense defenses. Tang Zheng has a strong foundation in long-range shots, so he tries them continuously.

The long-range shot that previously threatened Navas' goal was a time difference, but now it was an attempt in an impatient state. The effect was very different. It was either blocked by the Costa Rican defender or missed the goal.

At this time, Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, became more and more impatient, because Tang Zheng was the source of the Chinese team's equalizer. If Tang Zheng was very impatient, let alone the other players.

Fortunately, Tang Zheng has rich competition experience and strong self-reflection ability. He worked hard to become calmer during the following competition time.

In addition to long-range shots, the means to break dense defenses are also set-pieces.

Costa Rica's current tactic is to shrink the defense and maintain a good distance between each other. There is no need to foul unless absolutely necessary.

There is not much hope for free kicks, so... I hope only corner kicks or free kicks in the frontcourt will be contested.

Tang Zheng is over 1.9 meters tall, making him the tallest in the game. He also has extraordinary ability to grab the landing spot, coupled with his advantage in jumping ability, he has a great chance!

Because Tang Zheng had a successful header from the front of the small penalty area before. If it weren't for Navas' quick reaction, the Chinese team would have equalized the score!

When the time came to the 80th minute, the mobility of Costa Rica players decreased, but the Chinese team was not much better. In the group stage, Costa Rica qualified one round early. In the last round against England, they made most of the position rotations, while China The team struggled against Costa Rica.

If the Chinese team had not controlled the ball at their feet, the physical fitness of the Chinese players would have been even more difficult.

Head coach Lippi stood in front of the home team's coaching bench with his arms crossed and his brows furrowed. Although he still had a card in his hand, he didn't know who to replace. There were still ten minutes left in the game and there wasn't much he could do. wait.