Chapter 36 The Battle Must Be Resolved Before Overtime!

When Tang Zheng's pass was intercepted by a Costa Rican player, Lippi, the head coach of the Chinese team, was in a cold sweat because Tang Zheng rarely made mistakes and his position was very important. Once the ball was intercepted under his feet, it would be very dangerous. matter!

Brenes, who intercepted the ball, had a strong ability to read the game. After intercepting the ball, he quickly looked up to captain Ruiz.

Seeing captain Ruiz running out of the open position and not paying attention to the passing error, Tang Zheng did not step forward to block it, but chose to pass the ball directly to Ruiz.

As for the rest, it has little to do with him.

No one expected that Tang Zheng, who made the mistake, made a decisive choice. He did not pounce on Brenes who had the ball, but turned and ran towards Ruiz who had opened up the space. It was Tang Zheng who made the right bet on the target. Let him change from a 'sinner' to a successful minister!

Ruiz's connecting movement of turning the ball was affected by his reduced physical fitness, so he made an extra step of adjustment. It was this extra step of adjustment that allowed Tang Zheng to find the opportunity to tackle from behind on the right side.

Tang Zheng made a tackle quickly and accurately, and the heel of his right foot got stuck in the path of the football. Ruiz, who was accelerating towards the ball, encountered resistance from Tang Zheng's extended right foot with his right foot, and his upper body was still moved forward by inertia. He leaned up, and eventually his center of gravity became unstable and he fell to the ground.

Ruiz has rich experience in the game. Even though he realized that Tang Zheng's movements were perfect, he subconsciously covered his right foot with both hands and rolled on the ground in pain, as if Tang Zheng had shoveled not the ball but his right ankle.

Tang Zheng was very confident in his actions. He did scoop the football. Ruiz's fall to the ground was only affected by inertia.

Only referee Eriksson decides whether there is a foul.

Tang Zheng, who got up immediately, did not hear the whistle blown by the referee Eriksen, which also means that the referee Eriksen's subjective consciousness believed that Tang Zheng's actions were completely directed at the football and did not infringe. Human meaning, coupled with the perfect movement to stop the football.

So Tang Zheng used the outside instep of his right foot to move the ball to the right. He dodged Cuvelo's interception in a blink of an eye, and then passed the ball long to find Lu Liang, who was advancing at high speed.

Lu Liang was so fast that he left the Costa Rica defense behind him in just a few steps. Then he flew with his left foot and passed to the far end of the penalty area. Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas moved over too late. Sun Jingbo, who was outflanking, also made a very appropriate choice of footwork. , the arch of his right foot blocked the ball.

The football changes direction and continues to fly toward the goal almost against the right goal post...

Goalkeeper Navas has superb goal-line skills and excellent reaction speed, but his wingspan is insufficient due to height restrictions. The fingertips of his stretched left arm failed to touch the football, and he could only watch the football brush against the inner edge of the right goal post. It flew over the goal line and crashed into the snow-white net.

Half a second later, a deafening roar erupted from the sky above the Pernambuco Arena: "Ouch, ow, ow -"

After a short speech, He Wei, the commentator of CC5, shouted hysterically: "The ball is in! The ball is in! The game went into the 90th minute! Sun Jingbo's first goal in the World Cup helped us equalize the score! 1:1!! This is a goal that will go down in history!!”

British Sky commentator Andy Gray was passionate: "Incredible! Who would have thought that the Chinese team would equalize the score just after the game entered stoppage time?"

"I thought of it!" Commentator Martin Taylor, who felt the impact on his face, responded subconsciously: "Although it was Sun who helped the Chinese team score the goal, the key player is still Tang! He didn't pounce recklessly the first time he made a mistake. Instead, we choose Costa Rica captain Brian Ruiz as the source of ball control! He is decisive and accurate in his tackle! He is skilled in the use of small skills and has excellent control of the timing and intensity of the pass!"

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Sun Jingbo, who scored the goal, stood up with his hands on the ground, opened his arms, ran all the way to the Dragons fans meeting behind the goal, raised his arms and shouted.

Gao Lin, Lu Liang, Zhang Linpeng and others all ran to Sun Jingbo who was celebrating wildly, venting the great pleasure brought by the equalizer together.

Referee Eriksson signaled that the Chinese team's goal was valid, but the Costa Rican players were not happy about it.

They all gathered around referee Eriksen, pointing at captain Ruiz who was still rolling on the ground, asking for an explanation.

Costa Rica head coach Pinto also excitedly questioned the fourth official and questioned the referee Eriksson's decision.

If Duarte's change from two yellows to one red was within a reasonable range, then Tang Zheng's shovel from the side this time was definitely a foul!

In Pinto's eyes, Tang Zheng's right foot did not tackle the football, but hit Ruiz's right foot firmly.

The Chinese fans in the stands passionately shouted like a mountain and a tsunami, while the Costa Rican fans were dissatisfied and made huge boos. However, the Chinese fans had the upper hand and were in high spirits, which was much stronger than Costa Rica where negative emotions prevailed.

The Chinese players who celebrated the goal ignored the Costa Rican players who complained. Players including captain Zheng Zhi ran to where Sun Jingbo celebrated the goal and vented their hard-won goals together.

One more player equalized the score at the beginning of stoppage time. This was a very morale-boosting goal moment!

Tang Zheng, who was still thinking about fishing out the football from the goal, shook his head helplessly when he saw his teammates whose enthusiasm could not be suppressed. Then he smiled, opened his arms, and ran towards Sun Jingbo.

Anyway, the injury time has just begun, and there is still enough time to overtake the score!

The on-site director immediately showed a slow-motion replay of the entire goal, especially Tang Zheng's shoveling action, which was replayed several times.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Tang Zheng's movements are very clean. In the words of German Sky TV commentator Marcel Leif, it is "a textbook-like shovel from the side and behind that is difficult to copy! It's brilliant!"

Then Tang Zheng's sudden change of direction after getting up also won a burst of praise from the on-site commentators. He Wei, the commentator of CC5, was not stingy in his praise and was eloquent: "The connecting movements are full of fun to watch! It's like a masterpiece with extraordinary artistic conception. Excellent work, the long pass is at your fingertips, just right! Lu Liang’s speed has been calculated to the extreme! The FIFA Ballon d’Or winner is indeed well-deserved!!”

In front of the home team's coaching bench, head coach Lippi, his assistant Madaloni, and Chinese assistant coach Li Tie huddled together, waving their arms excitedly to vent the pressure that had accumulated all over them.

The substitute players on the bench jumped three feet high, and many of them were half-kneeling on the ground, clenching their fists and swinging them back and forth.

Although some players did not get the opportunity to play, they are able to follow the national team into the quarterfinals of the World Cup, which is also honorable!

Thousands of miles away, Chinese fans in front of the TV or computer instantly lost themselves and entered a crazy goal celebration mode.

For these fans whose hearts are in their throats, the goal is indeed a bit late, but as the saying goes, it’s never too late for a good meal!

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Tang Zheng has a very high status in China. From the moment he came to the celebration circle, it can be easily known that his teammates automatically gave up their positions, put their hands on each other's shoulders, and celebrated wildly to equalize the score.

Of course, Tang Zheng did not completely fall into madness. He still maintained a certain degree of rationality, and after his teammates vented some of the pressure, he calmly released his hands and clapped his palms instead.

The Chinese players, whose faces were still quite excited, looked at Tang Zheng curiously. Tang Zheng said bluntly without any foreshadowing: "Hey, brothers, I'm not pouring cold water on you, but equalizing the score is not worth being so excited."

Having said that, Tang Zheng pointed his right hand at the huge LCD TV screen on the court. In addition to slow-motion replays of the goals, it also displayed the current score and time.

The score is 1:1

Game time is 90’26”

Tang Zheng's attention was on the passing game time, which other teammates didn't know, so Tang Zheng continued: "There are four minutes of injury time and more than three minutes left. Now we have equalized the score and have one more player. Do you want to complete the game?" End the go-ahead score, or will overtime and penalty kicks determine advancement to the quarterfinals?”

We are not fools. We have a chance to end the battle in injury time, so why wait until overtime?

What if overtime doesn't end the game, then a penalty shootout?

The penalty shootout is full of uncertainty, and Costa Rica goalkeeper Navas is in great shape and has a personal record of being a master of penalty kicks, so no one wants to leave the suspense of promotion in the penalty shootout.

Overtime?

The decline in physical fitness is obvious now, but overtime?

What international joke are you kidding?

As a result, everyone's excitement was suppressed to a certain extent and they shook their heads.

"OK! Then let's prepare to overtake the score in the final injury time!"

Tang Zheng clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed his left hand with the palm up, making a loud sound like a bell.

Not long after, Tang Zheng took the football out of the Costa Rica goal and ran towards his own half.

The Costa Rican players who had previously gathered around referee Eriksen to demand an explanation dispersed after two players received yellow cards, and head coach Pinto was also warned.

Seeing the referee's decision, Costa Rica captain Ruiz stood up in frustration, but he failed to stay on the court.

Of course, it wasn't Eriksen who sent him off, but his exaggerated fall and roll that caused Eriksen to call the team doctor.

According to relevant rules, players who receive treatment must temporarily leave the court and can only re-enter the court after receiving permission from the head coach on the sidelines.

"Uuuuuu——"

So Costa Rica in the stands booed the referee Eriksen again. They believed that Duarte's red card had already favored the Chinese team. Tang Zheng's shovel from behind was even more obvious, and now he drove away the captain Ruiz. How can I bear to leave the scene temporarily?

"Ouch-ouch——"

The Chinese fans were afraid of bringing chaos to the world. While the Costa Rican fans responded with boos, they made huge cheers and applauded the referee!

Tang Zheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, then placed the football in his hand at the kick-off point in the center circle, then faced his teammates and clapped his hands again, shouting: "Brothers! Are you confident that the battle will be resolved within three minutes?"

"have!"

Even though the Pernambuco Arena was full of fanaticism and the momentum was huge, Tang Zheng's voice still reached the ears of most of his teammates, and his teammates responded very vigorously.

Especially Sun Jingbo, who scored the equalizing goal, the veins on his neck and face were so excited that they appeared.

Costa Rica had a kick-off advantage, but captain Ruiz was still on the sidelines waiting for the referee's permission. It was equivalent to a nine-man battle after the kick-off. In order to avoid an unacceptable situation, the central midfielder Cuvelo who got the ball did not hesitate. Kick the ball out of the sideline and give up control of the football.

In fact, there was no choice. The referee Eriksen seemed to have forgotten that Ruiz waved his hand to enter the field and did not even look at the sidelines...

The football flew out of the sideline, and the referee Eriksson turned to the sideline and waved to Costa Rica captain Ruiz to enter the field and continue the game.

Jiang Zhipeng threw a ball from the left sideline, and the Chinese team organized an attack in the backcourt. Wu Xi received the ball in the arc of his own side. At this time, Costa Rica, which was fighting with ten men, had no high defense and all retreated to the half court.

Wu Xi carried the ball forward for half the game without encountering the defense of a Costa Rican player, but he knew his responsibilities in the game, so he stopped dribbling and handed the ball to Lu Liang, who was retreating to take over.

Soon, the football was at Tang Zheng's feet again.

Next to him, there is a Costa Rican player responsible for watching the defense, and there are other defensive players on both sides ready to help defend at any time.

Tang Zheng, who has a strong ability to read the game, did not have a personal breakthrough. He directly passed the long ball to the right to assist Zhang Linpeng, who was attacking in the 30-meter area.

Zhang Linpeng stopped the football, glanced at Gao Lin and Sun Jingbo in the penalty area, and then made a direct pass from the right at a 45-degree angle.

The ball's landing point was not within the range of Gao Lin and Sun Jingbo. For safety reasons, central defender Gonzalez directly used his head to push the ball out of the baseline.

With one less player to play, the Chinese team equalized the score in stoppage time. The Costa Rican players were very worried that the Chinese team would go ahead and take the score in one go, so they all acted cautiously in the penalty area.

Don’t seek merit, but seek no faults.

Once again getting a chance to attack from a corner kick, Tang Zheng slowly ran towards the penalty area, waiting for Wu Xi to take a corner kick from the left.

As in the past, Tang Zheng was surrounded by at least two Costa Rican defensive players.

The tall central defender Gonzalez followed Tang Zheng, and the captain Ruiz, who was 1.86 meters tall, assisted the defender, fearing that Tang Zheng would steal the ball.

Central 5 commentator He Wei and guest commentator Gong Lei chatted nervously about the game, but taking into account the poor corner kicks in the past and Navas's wonderful performance, they did not express full confidence.

In their minds, they prefer the game to go into overtime.

Not many people noticed that Tang Zheng inadvertently raised his right arm towards Wu Xi, who was taking the corner kick, and then extended his right index finger.

The fanatical atmosphere of the Pernambuco Arena became more and more fanatical as time went by. Most of the fans in the Dragons Fan Club were hoarse, but they still insisted on shouting for their beloved national team. Come on and cheer!

At this moment, Tang Zheng suddenly pushed Gonzalez and Ruiz away with both hands, started from the penalty spot, bypassed Gao Lin and other Costa Rican players, and ran to the back point.

"Watch him!!"

Navas shouted subconsciously.

Ruiz was pushed back half a step by Tang Zheng, but when he started again, he bumped into Gao Lin.

Gonzalez is tall and has a very flexible mind. He did not follow Tang Zheng's running route, but ran directly to the door...

At the same time, Wu Xi took a corner kick from the left.